Time (Over and Over, Just For You)
by FnkY
Summary: Kakashi gets sent back in time. Simple. Okay, maybe not because he shared all his memories with Kurama of that time and the Hatake really needs the fox's help in mastering a thousand different Jutsus, and to change the course of their lives.
1. It's a Weird Thing, You and I

The only thing that Kakashi could never really get into his head, was that he was a whole lot… _tinier._ His chakra reserves gone minimal, sight distance decreased, and his emotions nearly gone to shit. The only good thing was that his energy felt… good. And why was this all happening? Oh, well, he found himself in the hospital, more exact he found himself in his 12-year-old body. What fun, he was sent back in time to rewrite history, and for who's sake? Obito's, who else? (maybe Naruto, but he survives in the end.) He pushed back a groaning moan, forcing himself into a sit as quickly and quietly as he could; the news of his… incoming must've reached Mina— _the Hokage,_ remember the respects, by then. He just needed to wait for that overly joyful man to come in and wreck Kakashi's brain with questions. But then again, Kakashi needed to move: he slid off the bed, not feeling any muscle fatigued or chakra depletion in the first 0.62 seconds of his stand and walked over to the window, lifting the latch open. The next thing he knew, he jumped out of his room and immediately went to where he needed to be: the Hokage's office.

 _Now,_ Kakashi thought as he flexed his fingers and shoulder, _since_ ** _I_** _was the one who was dragged back into time. I need a plan,_ he stopped his thoughts for a moment and noticed the eyes baring into his skin; he had to roll his eyes for that. He was twelve, well, he turned back to when he was twelve, and he finally remembered that there were still a lot of people who hated him for his father's choice. What was so bad about saving a handful of friends from dying? The war may have continued after that choice, but the war would still continue because revenge is cunning. That's why the war started anyway. People wanted this and that, they wanted freedom, they wanted power, they wanted people, land… so many needs to be made, and how did they solve it? With war—just thinking about it made Kakashi sick. Without wasting any more time, he started slipping back into his thoughts, _in order to save Obito, I have to at least perfect the Raikiri, get my chakra reserves as high as they should be, meditate for so many hours to least get my usual head back into the game, and not only that, I need a source of help that is perfect for strength and intellect._ But where the hell was he supposed to get the help needed? He pushed the thoughts back into the middle of his brain (not so far that he couldn't reach them anymore) and pulled the door open, a squeak of a surprise leaving the room once the door was open.

Who had made the noise could only be one man. Namikaze Minato—saying his name nearly brought the tears in Kakashi's eyes—and he looked surprised as hell. The man was caught standing halfway from the sit he was previously in, a scroll locked against his chest finished with a hand to sandwich that poor source of knowledge, his eyes went wide and the blueness of his irises gone brighter (Kakashi knew it was from the angle of the sun, but making it sound it was due to the emotion change sounded cool), and his hair dishevelled. Kakashi was mentally told his sensei was sleeping, and thought Kakashi was from the Council.

"Well, don't you look spot on." It was purely sarcasm intended.

Minato dropped onto his seat and groaned, rubbing at his temples after he released the scroll, "I nearly thought you were from the Council since I was expecting a meeting in about… an hour," the Hokage stopped to take a moment before he decided to give Kakashi a glare, "and what in the world are you doing up? I thought I heard you passed out after you stepped foot into the village?"

Kakashi did his best to give his snort, planting a hand on his hip, "please, I passed out due to reasons far unacceptable for me to be poked and prodded by needles for days," he paused, "do you need the report?"

"No, absolutely not." Minato nearly snapped, causing Kakashi to smirk underneath his mask, "my mind's about to blow into little tiny pieces—fragments, if you will, and you will have to clean up!"

"Sorry, but it's already done." Kakashi threw said scroll onto Minato's desk, earning himself a sigh from the Hokage, "you need to go through the reports, Hokage-sama." _Remember your respects at this bloody age, and geez, was I always this small?_ Kakashi thought to himself as he saw Minato nod in agreement, not really saying anything else. Kakashi knew the elder wanted to ask him if that was the actually reason as to why he escaped the hospital but he was cut off by something… it more of a someone. The silver-haired Jōnin-turned-Chūnin turned on his heels and was pummelled to the ground in less than 0.25 seconds of his turn, a small huff leaving his lips as the air was driven out. All he managed to see was a streak of a very familiar red and he immediately wrapped his arms around the person he believed it was, and when that person pulled back, he choked on air because he was right.

Uzumaki Kushina, and was she still in her prime days. Her long, red hair smelled a jasmine Kakashi remembered it being, and her smile was still etched even if she was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi (Kakashi found out somewhere later on in life, which was stupid for Kakashi because at his level of intellect, he should've noticed sooner then 28 years old or something of that age), and he couldn't miss that hug he still had to endure—a mother's hold, is what he felt. "I missed you, dattebane!"

"I missed you, too," Kakashi whispered out, loud enough for one to hear and the other not to—he pulled away and cleared his throat, "pardon me, but I have to leave." He bowed politely but was stopped by Kushina's so much bigger frame blocking his planned exit, "is there anything else, Kushina-sama?"

"Oy, I thought I said to not call me that anymore—Kushina's fine." The red head gave Kakashi a pout (more like the deadliest look she could muster), and Kakashi had to chuckle inwardly for it (he had to shiver).

"Sorry, Kushina… but respects are embedded deeply." Kakashi tried but was once again pulled into Kushina's embrace, and was forcefully turned onto his heels to face the Hokage.

"If only he was our age… I would gladly ask him out."

 _And again, this talk. Like seriously, how many times must I remind her that I prefer missions over women?_

"You're too bold for your own good." Minato and Kakashi sighed instantaneously—the Hokage and Kushina were surprised, but Kakashi wasn't. It was a rare moment for them to be thinking alike since Kakashi was usually a step, or even five steps ahead of the Hokage, but to have Kakashi allowing for Kushina to actually bring him into two hugs, well, that was… shocking. "Anyway," Minato started, "what are you doing here?"

"Needed to check up on you, and I heard Kakashi escaped the hospital," Kushina gave Kakashi a glare and didn't ignore the small apology escaping the boy's lips before turning her focus back onto Minato, "oh yeah, just needed to say that you don't have to worry anymore, the wound's healed… and I feel great."

 _In that time?_ Kakashi thought to himself, _oh right, she's the Jinchūriki… stupid me._ He stopped thinking in case they had brought him into their own little conversation but realised it was something much bigger than he was (please, he really wanted to be 20 at that point so he could at least help), and pulled himself back into his mind, _to have healed from wounds a mere 43 hours after we got back… she must've let Kurama mould their chakras together—_

 ** _Whoever the hell said my bloody name, I'll kill ya!_**

Both Kakashi and Kushina jumped a good feet at the voice, earning a look from Minato—who then realised it was an entirely different voice he heard three seconds after the voice stopped talking. Kakashi quickly caught his emotions and inwardly threw a profanity—he really needed his head to be bashed in. He avoided Kushina's gaze, knowing she hadn't said _anything_ but she knew Kakashi wouldn't have said his name—and he shouldn't be knowing she had a Bijū within her by that time.

 ** _Please, White Fang's brat can clearly hear me because he said my fucking name._**

"He said your what!?" Kushina screamed loud enough to possibly tear through Minato's eardrums and earn a grunt from Kakashi. That was not meant to be (very) loud, but she did try to hold in her shock. How did Kakashi know what was in her? (Mind you, this is her when she thought Kakashi said "Kyūbi", imagine how she would react if the kid knew Kurama's given name.) "How did you know?"

Minato's eyes flickered over to Kakashi, his expression growing dark with the notice that his beloved student knew something he couldn't and shouldn't have known.

"I just realised a few seconds ago," Kakashi lied in an instant, and he stopped himself from gulping down the handful of dry air, "I mean, we came back from our missions the same time—roughly 43 hours ago, and I thought to myself as to how your wounds, as heavy as they were, could've healed in that amount of time whereas a normal human body would take the whole week, possibly much more," he paused, "and I researched about Jinchūriki and found out if they were to fuse just a tiny percent of their chakra together, the bearer would heal at phenomenal rates."

 ** _Damn, I like this kid._**

Kakashi tried to ignore the booming voice (damn, the fox sounded _really_ different than the first time he heard him speak) before he continued, "the book was the only copy before you decided the throw everything else out, and I managed to grab it—" this was true since the copy he was given after Naruto's birth came from when Kakashi was 12, _how dare he even destroy those resourceful books? "—_ then read it. Sorry if I'm not supposed to know, but the Prodigy," he tapped at his head, "couldn't help it, and Kyūbi," _don't say his name to avoid suspicions_ , "it takes months for _you_ to like _someone_."

 ** _Shut it, Kit._** There was the Kurama he knew. ** _I don't need for you to say anything about my ways. It's not my fault—_**

"That you are still treated like a tool?" Minato stiffened in chair, as did Kushina froze in her spot. "I understand what you mean." He paused for a moment, only to bow once again and leave without noise—he was only five steps away from the day, and he vaguely heard the request Minato asked of Kushina and with just a single sound, Kushina left the office just after the kid did, walking side by side with the boy. Kakashi didn't refuse or say anything about it and noticed that they, together, were heading to the boy's apartment just after they said their goodbyes to Minato; the boy ignored the look Kushina was throwing at him through about half of the journey, but couldn't help but _not_ ignore Kurama— _the Kyūbi's_ voice that was trying to call out to him just a few seconds ago. Kakashi snorted inwardly as he kicked away a stray pebble. _What do you want?_

 ** _Explanations. Why are you acting like you're so… familiar with me?_**

 _Can Kushina-sama hear this conversation?_

 ** _Heck no, I shut her out completely._** The beast snorted and warned Kakashi about the right turn, and felt the emotion of gratefulness shoot out from the kid, **_you owe me an explanation. I don't like how you smell right now. You seem to be a lot… stronger, and wiser. Cunning, perhaps. But different from the Kakashi these people know._**

 _A lot of things happened, Kyū—_

 ** _You know my name, use it._**

 _But—_

 ** _Yes, I hate it when someone as bloody stupid as you knows my name, but use it because Kushina-brat doesn't know mine and I prefer my name over "Kyū"._**

 _A lot of things happened, Kurama._ Kakashi repeated, his eyes wandering around and never landing on Kushina's face, he knew the Kunoichi was suspecting some sort of conversation, so she didn't say anything like he expected her to, _and I don't think you want to know… yet. Look, can you peel your existence away from Kushina-sama for about two hours?_

 ** _What are you trying to get me to do, Kit?_**

 _I need to talk to you. Personally._ Kakashi said and didn't hear a response before Kushina just suddenly vanished. Kakashi was stuck on his spot and in another fraction of a second later, someone—hell no, this _guy_ wasn't Kushina. How could he when he was six foot tall with hair that was a strong ebony, ending at the base of his neck and covering the right eye, his skin was deathly pale, and he had an outfit that Kakashi didn't want to linger on for very long because the revealed chest area was really distracting—came back and dragged Kakashi to the farthest training grounds.

Kurama was getting tired with the dragging (Hatake was a small child, and his legs were tiny) and ended up teleporting to said training ground; the boy landed on the ground with a small 'oomph' and he glared at Kurama, who also glowered down at him. **Now bloody talk.** It was very weird to see the demon's mouth move when he spoke, but his voice was still deadly.

Kakashi stood and wiped at his pants, huffing, "you actually tore yourself away from her, are you sure it's safe?"

 **Talk _._**

"Fine," Kakashi huffed, eyes narrowing into a glare, "Hagoromo-sama—" title brought a sharp inhale, "—sent me back in time to change the course of time."

 **Why would he—**

"Let me bloody talk, Kurama!" Kakashi growled, flailing his arms; the demon clamped his lips shut and Kakashi was very much thankful before he continued, "look, I was sent back in time because in about a year… no, about eight months from now, Obito gets trapped under rubble—giving me the Sharingan, then Obito becomes Madara's student after he saved the bastard from the stupid rock, then you get released by Madara to attack the village and caused you to be sealed within Minato and Kushina's son Naruto by a fūinjutsu to hold you down for years, then you become friends with Naruto and help him wear your bloody cloak, plus the Fourth Great Ninja War happened again because Madara and Obito wanted the Datara also known as the ten tails, and—"

 **I became friends with Kushina's brat?**

"That's all you fucking got from my rant!?" Hearing a twelve-year-old throw a profanity was hilarious.

 **Hold it, a Kit like you actually got the Sharingan? How?**

"I lost my original eye to an Iwa nin, Obito was crushed under rubble—that was an action of saving me after I got hit on my blind spot, and left me a Chūnin-turned-Jōnin gift." He paused, allowing Kurama to finish his sentence.

 **The Sharingan. Did you have enough strength to—**

"I didn't." Kakashi confessed, eyes dropping as the emotions flooded, "I know… that from the very start, I may be able to go on countless A-Rank missions, but I was never strong enough," he inhaled before he continued, "never strong enough to help."

 **Why ask for two hours when you could just ask for ten minutes?** Sudden change in subject, just so the kid could breathe.

Kakashi pursed his lips and his eyes flickered to let his view focus on the form Kurama took on—the redness of his eyes were enough to cause fear, but Kakashi could see the tire in his eyes, "Sage told me to… become _your_ Jinchūriki because a friend or mine forcefully becomes Isobu's Jinchūriki… and that was Iwa's fault. Again."

 **There's something else, isn't there?**

"No, there's just… just protect Kushina-sama for _him._ "

Kurama wasn't even sure why he was allowing himself to listen to the Hatake brat. Who the hell was "him" anyway? Kurama just simply heard Sage's title slip past his lips and then he listened. But he knew it was much more, ever since Kakashi finished Kurama's sentence back in the Hokage's office, the fox finally found someone he could relate to. Kakashi was a tool from the start, from the very moment he joined the Academy at the mere age of five. Empathy was a tough emotion for Kurama to keep up with, but he had to use it. He saw the hate in the brat's eyes and without warning, the memories flashed in an instant, blocking him of his sight.

The blood, the gore, and the losses. They all burned into his skin. The tortures, and the malice. Kurama knew those feelings, and he felt them scorching. They etched themselves into Kakashi's head and the nightmares he experienced: the deaths, the Raikiri—brat's own Jutsu—protruded through the chest of the Jinchūriki. The memories, all barrelled into one, plunging into his head.

That was when he heard something—someone _. Kurama._ It was the old man calling out; his frame stood in the middle of an empty white space, it was nothing but white… though the warmth was common to Kurama, _protect this one._ The fox heard the old man say, _he carries a bloodline only he in Konoha possess, he has the power to hold the Sharingan, the power to hold the Hatake's blade, and he can help you._ The Sage took a moment to breathe, _I'm giving him an essence of my power, just to help him get through all the struggles. Help him become a Jōnin in eight months, allow him to seal you within him. Trust me one last time before I disappear. I love you all very much, and I know you will protect your two Jinchūriki._

The Sage disappeared, and Kurama knew he wasn't coming back. He blinked back the stars waltzing in his vision and found himself holding in his arms, a very limp Hatake. The old man must've used his energy to come back and tell Kurama what he needed to say. To let Kakashi take over the role of Jinchūriki. He doesn't even know if the boy could even… could even hold his anger down. He still had the hate for Konoha, and it was strong enough to bring havoc, but the Sage trusted him. He trust the Hatake, Kurama registered. Just why? What did the old man mean by a bloodline only he possessed? Dammit, the fox should really know the history of the village. He pushed himself to a stand and kept Kakashi in his arms—when did he even catch him?—only to curse inwardly. Why did he let himself grow so soft just by the mere mention of his old man? He felt a small twitch in his arms and let himself flit his focus for a second, and heard a tiny voice finally saving him.

"You're not a monster. Any twelve-year-old facing my problems would know."

Kurama didn't even remember making the blood clone and let it guard Kakashi's apartment as he went back to Kushina's place. Was it even wise to let Kakashi take over? He was only twelve, for crying out loud! But… being locked within a new-born was far worse. The groaned and settled into Kushina's body, curling into a ball as he heard the gates of the seal close on him. Maybe if he let Kakashi take control, he wouldn't have to see the bloody seals again. He felt the trust radiate from the brat… which was… not right. In any sense. He shrug at the thought, nuzzling into his ball before a growl stopped him from slipping into much needed sleep.

 _Where the hell have you been, dattebane!?_

 ** _You finally realised I was gone._**

 _You put me into a comatose state! For an hour, if not more!_

Kurama grunted and peeled an eye open, his brain taking in the fact Kushina's soul-self was crossing her arms over her chest as she stood on the other side of the gate, **_yes, I did. Kakashi requested to talk to me privately. Don't worry, I didn't harm the kid… why would I anyway?_**

 _Why did he need to see you, Kyū?_ Kushina asked, nearing the gates with curiosity.

 ** _He wanted me to protect you._** Kurama snorted, curling onto his himself, **_now shush, I need sleep._**

—

 **[ Time skip : three hours ]**

He wasn't so sure if he was actually seeing the actual picture, but Kurama was in his wolf form _and_ made breakfast; Kakashi must've been dreaming, so he pinched himself and he yelped inwardly. Nope, he wasn't dreaming—dammit. He shuffled silently into the kitchen and automatically reached out to pat at Kurama's left ear. **Don't do that, Kit. I hate it.** Kakashi laughed softly and gave one last pat on the fox's ear before turning around with his hands planted on his hips. Kurama spun around and couldn't help but give off a grin, only thanking inwardly that the boy did not turn around at that point. **A boy like you really does like keeping his fridge and cupboards stocked.**

"Well, I live alone, so of course I gotta keep in stock." Kakashi replied without much enthusiasm before settling on a seat, summoning a scroll simultaneously, "I was thinking," he started to say, bluntly ignoring the fact that Kurama now shifted into his human form—he needed to _not_ even look at the naked chest, "I need to learn more Raiton techniques, just to stay safe."

 **Raiton is hard to manage,** Kurama said, digging into his share—he didn't even know he cooked well—and he stuck his chopsticks into his mouth, holding them in place with his fangs—teeth, **since your reserves are pretty low, and that it can paralyse you.**

"Yeah, you're correct on both accounts," Kakashi sighed in return, finger sliding down the list of Raiton Jutsu as he skimmed, "but I have to at least have ten Jutsu ready… and should I try harnessing Fūton?"

 **And get yourself bloody killed!? Hell no!** Kurama squawked abruptly, nearly choking on his chopsticks, **you already know your chakra is pure Raiton, you cannot expect to learn Fūton without having the old man's bloodline!**

"Kurama! You do realise you're talking to a Prodigy," the man-turned-kid made a start on his prodigy-ness, "I _will_ find a way to do it. If I can apply five natures, I can definitely defeat Madara when the time is right." He paused, now making a start to eat his food, "I can defeat the Akatsuki, too."

 **The Akatsuki?**

"S-Rank idiots. They formed the alliance of the exiled to start a search for Jinchūriki in the end, they made Datara under Tobi—I mean, Obito's influence… then Kaguya showed up and the world just collapsed." Kakashi recalled the last fight he had before the time-travel thing started, "you would remember from my memories the old man shared with you." He paused, chewing at his food before gulping it down, "I need to stop all of that from happening, and if I do… I have no idea what the outcomes would be." Kakashi watched Kurama scratch at the wooden chopsticks he had in his hand, eyes casted down and not wanting to look up at the kid. The mayhem the fox caused… it was the start of the whole thing. The moment Naruto was born, it was the start. Sure they made an alliance with everyone, but they didn't foresee the evil that erupted in the end. "Hey, Ku?" Said fox blinked at the nickname, lifting his focus onto Kakashi, "why are you still here? I thought you were supposed to—"

 **Don't worry, I'm protecting her as we speak. This is a blood clone I made hours ago, old man made me promise to look over my two Jinchūriki before I make the ultimate choice it seems. The old man believes in you, Kakashi… I don't even know why, but he does.** Kurama was alert enough to realise Kakashi's twitch at his words, thus making him dig deeper, **he believes you can change everything and save those who needed to be saved. It must be the absolutely weird hair colour you got.** Kurama ended at a light note and that made Kakashi pale even further. **Kit?**

"You weren't supposed to know. Hagoromo-sama even promised me that you never find out." The Hatake brat lowered his voice into a mumble and immediately stood, chair dragged along the floor, "I'm going to train, just… just to get myself used to the pressure I'm going to put myself under." He paused, turning on his heels, "you need to get back to your original self before this Jutsu hurts you."

 **Kit—**

"Just." A sharp inhale, "go."

 **What did I even find out?**

"Even a fox like you has to ask?" Kakashi scoffed, stopping his tracks at the doorframe, hand clawing at the wood that made his door, "you know why he trusts _me_." With that one sentence, the brat left as he knew Kurama wouldn't leave at his words, and Kurama knew, in turn, that the brat wasn't going to be back until the next morning.

In fact, Kurama _did_ finally find out, but was struggling to believe it. They were _somehow_ related: the old man and the Hatake. Now Kurama understood what the old man meant: Kaguya's blood to hold in her power during Kakashi's last stand alongside his team; Uchiha blood to help with the eye he acquired—he was very lucky to have his mother on the Uchiha branch; and, a stream of Hatake blood… the proof was in his white chakra. He was _the_ boy born of three bloodlines, and he was very lucky he hadn't been caught for it. Minato would've had his own head cut off for not knowing… and Kurama… believed it was best to let the Hokage know. The Hokage had the right, or so he thought. It's true, though. The yellow bastard was Kakashi's guardian. He needed to know. The fox stood and flexed his shoulder, **just teleport, and you'll be fine… beware of the ANBU.** He reassured himself before he teleported, leaving behind a few stray leaves.

Just as quickly as he disappeared, he appeared in the office with a light land on his feet—which made him happy because usually he would make a huge boom on impact (but then again, that was in his actual form), but the sudden intrusion ended up giving him twenty ANBU in his line of view. **Geez!** He wheezed, taking a step back with his hands shooting up in surrender—idiot forgot to suppress his chakra, **I just need to talk to your Hokage!** The ANBU tensed and a blade was forced right into his line of sight— **it's about Kakashi.** At that moment, The ANBU lowered their weapons and immediately disappeared, leaving Minato and the fox to themselves. Kurama didn't have enough time to move and he was already shoved into the wall to his left, his face scratching against the wall, **what the hell, you yellow bastard!?**

"What do you want with Kakashi?" Minato's voice stooped too low, even for Kurama, "if you dared to lay one finger on him—"

 **No! What the hell, I did not even hurt the cute kid!** Kurama shoved Minato off of him, tugging at his clothes—he didn't even realise he called Kakashi cute. He gave Minato a look of disgust and he snorted loudly, **I just found out something about him. Seems like he was going through his old man's belongings and found a book.** That was a lie, but he had to think of something, right? **It was about the Sage.** Kurama saw the Hokage jerk in realisation of the title before the fox continued, **it showed the lineage… and Kakashi…** before the fox could continue, a shout ripped through the office.

"Suiton Dan: Oruka!" (Water Release Bullet: Orca)

Then, within seconds, a huge surge of water crashed down onto Kurama, and with the intensity of the waves, he was restricted of his movements. **_When the fuck did you fucking learn this fucking technique!?_** The fox snarled telepathically profanity after profanity as he tried to work his muscles, but was sat on by the user of the technique: Hatake Kakashi. The fox saw the boy give him a look of warning of which the fox knew what he was trying to put thought before Kurama growled yet again, **I forgot what I was going to tell ya, Hokage.**

Minato, who didn't bother hiding his shock, was just standing there, jaw fallen slack as Kakashi stood from sitting on Kurama's still not moving body; he watched the boy brush off the non-existent dust of his clothes before he pulled his arms over his chest, crossing them, "what in the world, Kashi? I didn't know you could use Suiton." Man, the guy could really be thrown off subject in a matter of seconds.

"I was training a moment ago." Kakashi simply said like it was nothing, "wanted to try it out."

 **You do realise that it takes months to get used to a new Release.** Kurama snorted as he pushed himself into a sit, rubbing at his sore limbs. The power within those waves _hurt_. Now he was blaming the power all on his old man. He watched Kakashi flex his hand and cracked a grin that seemed too loud to be underneath the mask. **What? You learnt a new Release, what about it?**

"You do realise that if he awakens another Release, he would reach the level of Jōnin." Minato, Kurama, and Kakashi tensed at the new voice, all tearing their focus and planting it onto Kushina, the one who finally decided to appear, "why are you guys looking at me like that?" There was no answer for a good minute before she opened her mouth again, "anyway, pushing that aside very quickly, it's getting weird, don't you think? Kashi-kun is able to use Suiton without having to have practiced for months, and I do not doubt that he would be able to use Daton or Katon… Fūton, however…"

"I'm a Raiton type." Kakashi said, interjecting, "sorry for cutting in, but all I have is that I _am_ a Prodigy—I mean, if I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to do it," he looked over at Kurama and their mind clicked, _you'll have to teach me Fūton._ He didn't give time for Kurama to reply and he spoke further, "I'm determined I can achieve Fūton, though. Handling five natures is a tough job, but you need someone in the village who can do so, Hokage-sama."

"For the last time, it's Minato- _sensei_ , but tou-san would be good since you agreed to be adopted by me—"

"It would take ma years to actually call you 'tou-san', sensei."

"—and I guess you're right, but I doubt it has to be _you_. You're only 12, and in six months you're going to be 13… let's just settle with three, and then I'll get you that Jōnin recommendation slip—I still don't want to waste your life on trying to be the for me." He paused, rubbing at his temples as he made his way to sit on his seat, "right, I've got things to do. Kushina, head on home—"

A growl. Mind you, this was not a growl from the Kyūbi.

"—and Kakashi… continue your training if you need to, and… uh, whatever your name will be…"

 _You ought to not use Kurama since names hold power._

 ** _What's a good name I could use, Kit?_**

 _Uh… well…_ there it was: the pause, Kurama knowing that his head was rummaging through a personal naming list—okay, that was made up, but seriously what was Kurama supposed to say? The fox was about to suggest a name—crude as it was, but Kakashi beat him to it. _How about Hashiri? It means beast—well, one of Jutsu is—_

 **Sticking to Hashiri.** Kurama said aloud, shrugging at the name and effectively cutting into Kakashi's thoughts, **that sound good?**

The hokage nodded shortly and continued, "Hashiri, protect Kushina." At this moment, the Hokage tried to ignore Kushina's darkening look being thrown at him.

Kurama bite back a snort and bowed his head a little, allowing Kushina to leave the office, then Kakashi. Once he closed the door behind him, he reached out and grabbed Kakashi's wrist, then he noticed the boy didn't pull away. He let some of his chakra seep into the man-gone-boy's system and pulled away rather quickly, shifting back into a fox and returned into Kushina's seal. Kakashi stopped in his tracks, lifting the grabbed hand to his line of sight. He summoned his chakra to the point and saw a small tattoo-like mark in the shape of a fox's side profile. It was a warm tango red—the fox _had_ a good choice of colour, and he snorted at that. He dropped his hand to the side and he continued on, heading back to the training grounds as he started thinking just how the last three days had been the longest in his new life. He just had to smile at that.

On the contrary, being a man who's brain is ageing far quicker than his physic, Minato had to catch up on his sleeping; so, he napped for a minute or two before his door was blown open by a single punch; he jumped a good two feet, instantly thinking it was Tsunade… but the look on Kushina's face only meant death, and meant that Minato seriously needed a lot of explanation to do. He somewhat thanked for it only being Kushina, and not Tsunade because the old lady would definitely kill him for what he did to poor Kakashi. "Why did you even let Kyū do this!?" Kushina erupted the moment she stepped in, which was funny because she went away a few seconds after they all left the office, acting all cool and calm, and to have her shout at him, well… yeah. They noticed the Kyūbi left her for Kakashi (how did those two even get so close? And no, she was not getting jealous… the Kyūbi was Kushina's anyway), so she had no choice but to erupt at Minato's choice, "you know he's not sane! And to put him with Kakashi—"

Minato arose from his seat and slammed his hands on the table, the thought of being afraid of the scarlet terror being pushed to the back of his brain, "listen to me, Kushina- _sama_." Oh God, when Minato used that title, he _was_ serious, "Kakashi lost his mother at two, his father at four, and now he's pushing his intellect and capabilities in the wrong direction! He had his first kill when he was six, and he didn't even hesitate!" He paused feverishly, letting loose a very shaky breath, "the Kyūbi is the only one who can understand him, even if they're _worlds_ apart. I've been trying to help him ever since Sakumo-san passed, and do you think it's working? Heck no! I have to hear that he's doing so much better with the fox, and how!? Does he hate me or something!?"

"Minato…"

"Of course he does! I'm nothing but a lie to him, and I can see that in his face—I'm too bright for my own good, smiling here and there, forcing Kakashi to do almost anything that makes him so very uncomfortable. I had a mother, a father, and probably other cousins of which I don't remember anymore, and what did he have? Nothing! All he had were his ninken—which I am so very relieved in—and the bloody rules of a Shinobi!" He made two very tight fists on the desk, gritting his teeth at the thought of being hated by his precious student. He saw Kushina fighting for a response, but Minato beat her to it. "Enough, Kushina. Enough." Said male exasperated, falling onto his seat, "the only prodigy of this time is Kakashi, and I've forced him to use it in the wrong way. I should have never let him enter the academy at five. I should never have let him accompany the group of three high-level Chūnin on their B-rank mission." He paused, eyes flitting over to Kushina, who'd now moved closer to the desk, "did you know his first kill was a father of three?"

"A father of _what_?" Kushina didn't want to listen, but asked anyway.

"A Jōnin who happened to be a father of three. Found that out after he gave me his report," Silence sang, "Hawk watched from the distance, knowing that I had a soft spot for the boy—the look on that Jōnin's face when… Kakashi moved in, it had the look of sadness, and… and longing, as if he _needed_ to go. But Kakashi failed to see it, and killed him off anyway. Then I later found out that one of the Jōnin's kids was a girl, and apparently she was going through the same issues as Kakashi. A prodigy, she entered their academy the same time Kakashi did, and well, a lot went on from that point."

"She lost her mother. I think I know her." Kushina breathed out a sigh, resting her hands on Minato's; she didn't even snap at the blond's outburst, which was a miracle, "if you _really_ think this will benefit Kashi… I'm in, but you must know that… that he needs more than just a Bijū. He needs us."

"I know… I know he does." Minato said, sighing as if it was that daunting, "he needs us more than he thinks—more than _we_ think."


	2. Are You by my Side?

**_Where the hell are you, Kit?_** Kurama telepathically groaned, pushing himself off a tree standing in front of the Hatake compound, eyes casted to the massive doors that lead to the inside. Just a few months ago (seven, to be exact), Kakashi had perfected a Jutsu of the Suiton release and after that happened (well, just about a month ago), he requested the house given back. It wasn't all a big deal to the Hatake kid, but Minato thought it was… weird for Kakashi to just suddenly ask. Kakashi, at the age of twelve, still hated his father, and now that a older him is back in that time, the emotions have totally flipped. The Kakashi (who was 30) understood why Sakumo had to abandon the mission, which is contrasted with the actual Kakashi that Minato knew. Kurama found it quite confusing if you were to ask him, and he completely understood what the hell Minato was going through with the sudden change of character. But at least Kurama wasn't kept in the dark. **Oy! What the hell are you doing, brat!?** He growled again and pushed the doors open, feet taking him into the compound. If the kid died during a training exercise, the fox will surely be beheaded. He made it into the Hatake's training compound and looked around. There was no sign of movement, chakra, or any noise. Just where the hell is the kid? The house was already big enough, was it not? Was Sakumo or whoever else that was before the brat in their wrong state of mind when they were building the place? Kurama really thought so, because the training compound was at least 10,000 square foot. Now imagine that—actually, it was a huge piece of land, so there's no longer a need to imagine the size of the goddamn place. Kurama snorted and took one more step before—

"Raikō Hitofuki no Jutsu!" (Lightning Release: Lightning Blast Technique)

The pain soaring through Kurama was dull, but it still stung like a slap to the face. His arm was stung of what it seemed like a thousand scorpions and his chest convulsed, then his legs suddenly gave out—within time that spent 1.3 seconds, he caught himself on both knees and whipped around quick enough to stop a kunai to the face with his uninjured hand. **What in the absolute snowflake are you doing!? It's just me!** He managed to squeak out, pulling away the kunai the kid had in his grip before waiting for another attack if the kid didn't hear him. Fortunately, Kakashi didn't move and Kurama took that as a good sign, and he fell onto his back, a small puff of air leaving his lips, **another Jutsu?**

"Yeah."

 **Please stop hurting me.**

"It wasn't on purpose."

 **Just say sorry.**

"Fine." A pause, "sorry."

 **Forgiven.** Kurama scoffed, trying to push himself to a sit but was stopped by Kakashi's hand on his chest, **what?** The fox asked as he gazed up at the boy; he saw the mature-gone-immature-maybe kid shake his head and Kurama just fell back into a laid position again, knowing that the kid really wanted to say that the hit he took had somehow hit some of chakra points, which it did. He heard Kakashi settle in next to him, but he didn't say anything; nor did Kurama. He already knew what the boy was going to say, anyway. **_Do you need to talk in here?_**

 _Yeah…_ Kakashi sighed, _look, I know it'll be tough, but I need you to teach me how to fuse my Raikiri with a Rasengan._

 **What the hell!? How do you know about Minato's—**

 _In my head, please._ Kakashi snorted loudly, giving Kurama a glare before continuing, _I knew he had a technique when I was… around… 14. I learnt it, and found out it was incomplete since sensei had the same goal as I did. I want to mould my chakra nature to the shape transformation. I need to. Naruto achieved it, as you have seen in my memories. Now_ ** _I_** _need to achieve it. It isn't to prove anything, but it will help immensely._ He paused and summoned yet another scroll—now this one Kurama recognised, "don't say anything about this scroll, I know it's the Uchiha's sacred piece, but I need it."

 **What for?** Kurama paused, before that single moment caught him, **you stole this from the Uchiha!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR NOT EVEN SANE MIND!?**

Kakashi was thrown back onto the ground, a puff of air leaving his lips; for the love of his sweet short life, did the fox have to be so loud? The kid pushed himself back into a sit before snorting, "Indra left his message hidden in here." Kakashi said, knowing the fox recognised the name, "I don't know what he said, but Hagoromo-sama did mention to me to find it. I think it'll help me with my Sharingan." He paused yet again, eyes lifting from the scroll, "Obito gave it to me before he passed, I supposedly had lost them because of the amount of chakra and time I used them, but Hagoromo-sama did something, and at this point, I can feel them again."

 **So, you think you got the Sharingan?** Kurama questioned, now pushing himself to a sit since his arm finally healed, **do you think you have both eyes or just one?**

"To be honest, I _need_ the power of both eyes so I can manifest Susanō." The kid replied monotonously, eyes returning back onto the scroll to glue themselves onto the words, "at this stage, Obito hasn't awaked his Sharingan, and will only do once my eyelid's been cut through by that stupid Iwa nin. Gosh, I really need to kill him." Kakashi grumbled as he closed the scroll, not meeting Kurama's eyes, "so, my mission for this month is to get Obito's Sharingan awakened and not to get him piled underneath that rock."

Kurama still hadn't said anything and took the scroll from Kakashi's hand—he really didn't want to know how the kid got his hands on the thing—and he poured his chakra into the object and passed it over to Kakashi, who gladly took it and peeled it open. The text written on the scroll danced along and jumbled and made new sentences, a hint of a few voices whispering out 'thank you's and then a hint of a soft 'we've been freed' was what Kakashi caught. His eyes flickered to Kurama, who looked back at him with the same 'what the hell' expression. When the waltz ended, Kakashi read the new sentence; it was only one (where did the other letters go?): "you have the power to control."

The fox didn't say anything, but the handwriting looked too… familiar for his liking, like as if the one who had written that one little line was so certain this would happen. **Which means…?**

"I don't even know, though I would like to know—and hey, did you get tattoos?"

Kurama howled, throwing profanities here and there, then pulled away as he started scratching at the letters on his arms. The letters-gone-tattoos were etched into his skin, a burning hot red with a shine to them was the end result. The fox did still try his best to get them off, and he tried using his chakra but still didn't work. **What in the world is going on?** He growled, terrifyingly pissed, **if this is Indra's work, I will bloody revive him and beat him to death.**

"Don't say that!" Kakashi yelped as he pulled the fox towards him, "as much as I want to say that Indra was stupid for his actions, he was still a good brother and a good son." The kid spoke no more and let his chakra bleed onto the markings. The letter turned a snowy white as a reaction to Kakashi's white chakra that time and Kakashi had the guts to read out the lines on both Kurama's limbs: "a knight" said one arm—in katakana, and "lives to protect" on the other—also in katakana. The kid looked up at Kurama, who again returned the gaze, "who's the King?" He asked, tone raised in amusement.

And that was when everything went into chaos. Golden chains erupted from the scroll, and a loud crackle sung as they rose so very high in the air, both child and fox wasn't even sure as to what in the world was going on—they descended fast, wrapping around the kid in seconds. He was thrown against a tree… or a boulder, Kakashi was nowhere certain, but he saw the recognition in Kurama's eyes. The chains… they were of _Asura_ origin. Man-gone-child tried to break free, but a voice rung in his ears, causing him to bleed. Whoever decided to let these chains stay within the scroll, they hadn't let the inanimate-gone-animate objects free in _centuries_. The intensity of the hold around his torso, and the heat being expelled, was enough to rip his under-armour—Kakashi had no idea what to do, and when he saw Kurama being held by his neck, it all burst. He clawed for his kunai (really? A kunai against chains as powerful as Kushina's? Really!?), and tried to at least catch the attention of the other chain that wrapped around Kurama, holding the fox in place. "Shit, Kurama!" He screamed out as his eyes fell into a tight squeeze; feeling the chains around him gather at his neck, cutting him off of his air made his blood boil.

 _Finally you said it._

Kakashi snapped his eyes open at the voice that sound so much like Hagoromo—but his visual was _not_ the old man. This one appeared to be much younger— _both men_ appeared to be much younger. They were twins, Kakashi noticed, realising he couldn't really spot the difference—how could he when the image was merely black and white, and all they had on was a white robe? His little rant continued in his his head until he felt their chakra within the chains, and the chakra that was emitted from the set eyes wringing his life. Seems like Indra and Asura both had something to do with all this fiasco of a transplant in Bijū.

 _The people of Konoha think Kushina holds the Kyūbi, but she only holds a mere 90% of his whole being._ Said one, _tou-san gave us the remaining ten, and the last percent is where all the fun comes in._ Said Asura, judging from his very warm chakra—felt like Naruto for just a moment, Kakashi mentioned to himself.

 _The Jinchūriki will be able to wear his chakra cloak, summon powers of tou-san's degree, and well.. become the Bijū… as you have noticed through the fact that Gaara of the sand used the Jutsu to let his Bijū overtake him._ Indra cut in, giving Kakashi the most unamused look on in face—Kakashi didn't even know that happened, but he knew that it happened during the Chūnin exams, which was a relief because that was _years_ away. _Tou-san wanted_ ** _you_** _to be the Jinchūriki. Not Kushina since he has seen what happened to her on that night._ The image of Indra spun on his heels, and Kakashi followed his movements to Kurama, who'd finally calm down in the presence of the twins. _Tou-san values you, Kyūbi. Being the nine tails—_

 _You could do anything you want._ Asura interjected before Indra could anything much fowler, _but we have a message from Tou-san._ Asura twisted round and in his spot, letting himself face Kurama, who returned his gaze—thank goodness. _You are to aid Kakashi in changing the course of Naruto's life._

Once his name was mentioned, Indra flitted over to Kakashi and grabbed at his boy's neck, making his need for oxygen so much higher than it needed to be— _I expected much more from my kin,_ he paused, his hold tightening which earned him a small plea to let go, _you let your emotions dissipate, letting you kill many as you please. I may be of Yin descent, but you've fallen much faster than I did._

 _Let him go, Indra._ Queue the gasp for air—Asura moved closer to Kakashi and leant close, whispering out: _I'm sorry for my brother's actions, Kashi-san, but I'm afraid he's correct. You let yourself fall too easily in the hands of Yin, and I don't know if I can do as tou-san says._

The tall-gone-tiny gave out a menacing growl and the hint of Sharingan blared at the dead, "give me Kurama, and I will show you that having Hatake blood saved me."

Both brothers looked at each other, the message radiating from Asura was loud enough to read before he spoke: _he's right, he's not completely in the dark because of his father having no side at all, though I really want to believe his father was of Yang descent… we should give it a try._

 _Fine, Asura, fine. Make tou-san proud with this decision proud._ No one was really sure if this was said with sarcasm or not.

Before any of the living could say anything, there was a scorching light emitted from the chains. They were left blinded for minutes, though in each round of seconds, the chains felt lighter, colder even. Hand signs danced in Kakashi's last moments of a proper sight, and he felt—no, he _knew_ his eyes were bleeding from the excessive power from the Jutsu. Was this just to let Kakashi become the Jinchūriki, or was this also the moment when (finally) his Sharingan was his—or rather, the Mangekyō? Or was this something a whole lot different? Kakashi's brain didn't work right then, so he just let it all go… the voice, which sounded so much like his mother, in his head told him to, anyway.

 ** _Don't disappear on me. I can't lose you, too._**

Was the last thing he heard before white turned to black.

—

Minato hadn't been so worried, shocked, and angry in is life. The ANBU were hustling and bustling with a single mission given by him, and Kushina was pacing around his office, nearly biting her thumb off if Minato didn't keep on stop her. The seal on Kushina disappeared without both of them noticing, and the fox could've gone anywhere; he could've harmed someone or even a few hundred by then. Even Kakashi was a good victim— _shit_. Minato needed to find the kid soon or if the Prodigy died under his watch… let's just say Sakumo was a man of absolute wrath if he were alive. He was about to head out when the door slammed open, revealing a very red Kakashi and Hashiri. Wait… _Hashiri!?_ Minato exclaimed inwardly, eyes widening, "what in the blazes are _you_ doing here!?"

Though how did the two know Minato and Kushina were having a crisis in their hands? Minato was very well sure he was talking to the Kyūbi's blood clone that was sent by the beast himself to protect Kakashi, and not the real thing. Heck, the real Kyūbi could be out there somewhere, ripping the heads off hundreds of people. He knew how intimidated the fox could get, so the action to leave Kushina and kill was on the top of his list. So why didn't Kushina… _lose_ with the fact that the seal is no longer there and the beast left her?

 **Me!? Why are the ANBU out of the village when you know the bloody time is not at its best!?** The Kyūbi threw back but was stopped by Kakashi, arm extended to cut off the Kyūbi from his tracks. **Why the hell are you stopping me, Kakashi? You know Minato is stupid for letting them out in the wild when the war is on the brink!**

"I do know!" Kakashi shouted, "but I care for his uninjured-ness at this point." He snapped his head to face Kurama, eyes dipped in ice, "don't push my limits when it already has, now _get back inside_." He heard Kurama growled menacingly, but the fox didn't hesitate to return back into his rightful place—in Kakashi. The action caused another round of tantrums, but this time, it came from Kushina. Her scream was enough to bring back the ANBU (just ten were sent) and enough to move Minato—the Hokage whipped out his shuriken, threw them all towards Kakashi, and pinned the boy to the door; the kunai was next. Minato flashed stepped in front of the boy and ripped his under-armour with the weapon; he staggered back in surprise and the ANBU were frozen in place.

It was only then did Boar open her mouth to say: "what's the seal doing on you?"

The seal was a strong ivory, the curves and symbols dug into his skin like as if it was always there. Minato knew the boy was the only owner of white chakra, so of course the seal was in chalk-white, but how did it get onto Kakashi? What in the heavens was going on? The Hokage was no longer sure as to what was even happening, but he had the energy to call off the ANBU, making sure there was a memory seal on the group when they left. Once the coast was clear, Minato tried his voice again, "why… why do you have the seal?"

Kakashi ripped his legs off from the door, and forcefully pulling his arms from their position, earning him a set of wounds which miraculously healed in seconds. He huffed before he spoke, "there was a scroll, written by the Sage's son himself. I took it, read it, and Hashiri over here poured his chakra into it; I read it again, and it said 'you have the power to control'." He paused, making sure the two older people took his words without difficulty, "that was when Hashiri got the tattoos on his arms: 'a knight' on one arm, and 'lives to protect' on the other. Seems like I'm the king." With that sentence, Kakashi summoned chakra to his right arm and the word 'king' written in katakana shone on his skin, and when he let the chakra recede, the word vanished. "The scroll transferred the Kyūbi into me since I was the closest person to him."

Kushina was struck to silence after her scream; her hand hovering over the place where the seal was supposed to be. It was all so… weird. Everything was happening way too fast for her liking. She was the Jinchūriki, whether Minato liked it or not, and Kakashi was supposed to be their adopted son. A normal son; a son striving for his Jōnin title. Not the Jinchūriki of Konohagakure. She let her hand drop and she stalked over to Kakashi, her hand whipping out and a deathly slap echoed in the office; her eyes were clouded with tears and her voice dropped into a snarl once the blood red eyes shot to the surface, "how dare you do this to Kashi? How dare you touch him with your filth?"

 **Kushi—** Kurama started.

"Don't." Kushina interjected, her eyes snapping, "now that I have Kakashi as my son, my only mission is to protect him from the darkness… including you. Now answer. Why the hell are you inside him!?"

 **I trust him more than I trust you!** Kurama blurted, not even wanting to lie anymore as he did all those months, **Kakashi's got three bloodlines running in him, and I'm here to help protect the only kid you've got who is ready to help you with anything! Can't you see!? I was made for a purpose, not for some… some tool you can use to your own accord! I was born to maintain balance in the world, but I doubt any of you in the room can see this, but with so much research done, Kakashi can see it within the Bijū. I told him to stop, I told him it didn't matter. But he wouldn't listen, and that is how stubborn he is. For the past few months, he locked himself in the library, going over scroll over book over any other informative pieces just to collect enough history for you to read.** Kurama pulled a summoning scroll from Kakashi's back pocket and threw it to the ground, with it came a pile of books and other scrolls—the research. **He is the only one who can understand who I am because he was treating himself as a tool, a tool for Konoha when you all should have stopped him the moment he started growing away from Sakumo. I don't understand why that was so hard to accomplish. And as for you, Kushina, Kakashi wanted me inside him because if you were to have a child, my seal would weaken and my anger would rise… so to help you with your life, he did so.**

There was nothing but silence that rung in the room; the two caught in shock as the Kyūbi voiced out. Now this was the answer to their questions of why did Kakashi end up training alone, going on solo missions rather than the group missions, always requesting for the fox instead of the Hokage, and why he was so close to the Kyūbi. The best finally had someone to talk to and respect. Hagoromo designed the nine for maintenance, to balance peace. They were wise, and living forms of chakra, but even the Hokage saw the Kyūbi as a monster, a mindless beast worthy of fear. The reason why the beast hated Konoha was that, no one saw him for his right potential, and in the end, they shunned him, wiped him out of the existence. Was it so hard to actually know the history before coming to conclusions?

Minato made two fists on the table, pulling in lips into a tight line before speaking, "Hashiri, you are to protect Kakashi at all costs. Do _not_ , I repeat, _do not_ let him out of your sight. Ever. You are now an acting member of the ANBU, but a Jōnin by day. You are to train Kakashi for his Jōnin exams and you will take part in every single group mission Team Seven has. I put Kakashi in your care, even if he is my son."

 **I will be watching. I'm leaving Kakashi to you… he deserves a proper family, anyway.** With that last sentence, Kurama backed off into the shadows, letting Kakashi's eyes return to their usual grey; the boy took a moment, shooting his eyes to both Kushina and Minato before the lack of energy struck him like lightning and he was tipped off his heels, collapsing. Kushina jumped and caught the boy just before he made contact with the ground, holding him close with the tears spilling out in the end. She felt his warmth seeping into her skin, the minty smell his hair took on. He was supposed to be a Prodigy with big dreams, but now he was crushed with the job of being a Jinchūriki. She could only hope the council would not see him as a tool; she could only hope that he won't be seen as a demon. **_Don't worry about him._** She heard the Kyūbi saying, **_he knows how to fend himself._**

—

Obito wasn't really sure as to what the hell was going on. They were all gathering in Bakakashi's usual training grounds, waiting for the guy to show up… and why? No idea, but Rin woke him up too early (ten o'clock) and dragged him 3000 miles (0.4 km) to the grounds. Thus, to save his energy, he waited by a tree, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes glaring at Rin; she looked happy, but for what? What was even—the wind suddenly changed course and the group hushed to silence, causing Obito to finally peel himself off the tree and make his way over to Rin, "what's up?" He asked. Rin didn't say anything and pointed ahead, causing Obito to turn his head—

"Inbikiri Ekido no Jutsu!" (Lightning Rage Technique)

Rin instantly recognised what the Jutsu was; it was a Jutsu that sends out a blast wave of lightning radiated outwards in a total of 50 feet. The power she felt within the Raiton was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand and her muscles twitch; the power was too great, even for the Prodigy himself. She didn't even notice the boy walking up to the group. But what she did realise was that… his mask was gone completely; his face, a contradiction of his age and his hitai-ate was no longer on his forehead, now it was hanging loosely around the base of his neck. She was caught in her words before she coughed once, earning the attention of _everyone_ , "uh, are you by any chance… finished with your… training?"

Kakashi's heart tightened with the sight of the blush dusting her cheeks. He missed her. He still missed her. He missed her smile, her laugh… he remembered his hand tearing through her chest, her heart. He could feel her heart beating desperately and failed, he saw her last look towards him; a look of shock from the protrusion from the middle of her back—he stopped himself and replied with a genuine smile, "yeah, I'm done. Need anything?" There was a small squeak and Kakashi knew who made it in an instant: the Uchiha was finally pushed into surprise. Kakashi would never, _ever_ show his face off like that. He won't even smile, too—Obito (as seen on his face) just wanted to pummel Kakashi to the ground and punch his face over and over again, demanding for the real Kakashi to come back… but he tried to hold that in because Rin was there. He noticed Kakashi's eyes flickering to him and the loudest blush made it to his cheeks and he managed to turn around just in time, hiding his cheeks behind his hands. "So, like I was asking… do you guys need anything?"

"I—I heard you're joining the Jōnin exams!" Rin stammered, but managed to catch herself before she got too excited, "I just came here to say congratulations, you really deserve it, Kakashi-kun!"

Then his eyes twitched to a close, but it wasn't from frustration in her behaviour… it was more of a regret. If only he was smart enough to let himself become Isobu's Jinchūriki and let Rin live, then Obito would've come home that day. But he was here to avoid all of that. He released a breath he didn't realise he was holding and smile brightly, nodding, "thanks, Rin, but I don't really think I deserve it all that much… I'm not that good of a ninja, and I think it's gotta do with my father's name and all since the council wouldn't just let a 13-year-old like me to participate." Kakashi shrugged at that, laughing softly. Obito sucked in a breath, eyes shooting to Kakashi. The bastard would never talk about these type of stuff, and he would never talk about his father—Sakumo was a disgrace, or so he heard from the numerous… okay, from everyone in the village. Sakumo saved his teammates instead of finishing his mission, and killed himself for it. It turned Kakashi into who he was right then. "Anyway, I got something for you." Kakashi rummage through his pouch and held out a pack of senbon and a clear bottle of liquid of which Rin recognised: poison. "I thought that you needed more than your Iryō Jinjutsu (Medical Ninjutsu), so… yeah. Sorry if it isn't all that much."

The only girl in Team Seven took the gift without any noise prior to throwing her arms around Kakashi's neck, bringing him into a tight hug with a wet laugh, "thank you so much, Kakashi-kun! I will treasure it!"

The Hatake didn't throw her off like he usually did, but let his arms settle around her; he buried his face into the crook between her neck and shoulder, a soft smile making its way onto his features, "make sure you use it instead, Rin. I would be very disappointed if you don't use it." He paused, pulling away, "and for the last time, it's just Kashi… since we're teammates." He finished saying which caused Rin to flush a scarlet and she struggled for a nod. Kakashi's eyes flickered to Obito and held out the kunai he stole (actually, Kurama did it) from Minato. It was the pronged kunai which activated Minato's Hiraishin no Jutsu. Remembering what it did the first time they battled on Kannabi Bridge, he might as well let Obito take it. "And you, do not use this until it is really needed. I know you will ignore what I said and will use it early on in a fight—but don't use it until you have spent so much for a fight." He paused, dropping the kunai into Obito's hand. "Anyway, I need to get back to training." He turned on his heels and stopped when Obito's voice called out.

"Why are you acting like… you're going to disappear any moment?"

 _For your sake, Rin's and Kurama's… I cannot form such tight bonds with you._ Kakashi thought, making sure Kurama didn't hear them; he spun on his heels and a faked smile stitched onto his lips, "I'm not, I just wanted to let you congratulate you guys on becoming Chūnin." With that one sentence, he let his back face the other two and he muttered under his breath, "Hiraishin no Jutsu." And he disappeared into nothing.

Obito screamed out in recognition, he _bloody knew_ that bloody Jutsu! It was Minato's own, and the Jutsu was too hard to achieve, but Kakashi— Kakashi, Kakashi, _Kakashi_. Everything was about him nowadays. People in the village were now relaxing in his sight, seeing the boy smile, and laugh more. Not only that, with his mask gone, everyone will start talking about the boy who changed. The Uchiha made two fists, lips twitching into a sneer. Just how far would he have to go to overpower Kakashi? Just how far—

"Wow, I really need to start training!"

He lifted his eyes towards Rin, who was mesmerised in the new equipment.

"Kashi-kun was right, he knows I'm an expert in Iryō, so why not? I know where the chakra points in the body are, so… yeah." Rin shrugged at that, smiling brightly towards Obito, "and you!" That smile dropped and a serious expression made it to her face, "make sure you listen to him! He knows more than us, so we need to listen to him from now on, you got it?"

He nodded, watching her leave his side with her new gift; she wanted to train—needed to train. Maybe he should, too… but something was off. Rin didn't see it, Obito knew, but he did. What he saw was a linger of red when Kakashi used the Jutsu; a blood-red, a colour that Obito just hated seeing over and over. He was stuck to the colour, like a glue that didn't want to let him go. He was an Uchiha, so the colour was _everywhere_. He could hear the hated words thrown in his face, the beatings, the words of malice for not being the correct Uchiha. He growled as he tightened his hold on the kunai, jaw clenching harshly with the thoughts that ran through his mind. Why couldn't they just accept Obito for the way he is? Was it so hard? Stupid Fugaku and his beliefs.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid._

"Obito?" Said male whipped around, totally caught off his guard, "hey, hey, it's just me." Obito relaxed as the person who just arrived was his sensei; he tucked the kunai into his pouch and gave him a little awkward bow, "let me get down to business real quick since it seems you wanted to train," Minato paused, "I have a mission for you, Rin, and Kakashi. Can't tell Kakashi just yet since he would force me to give it to him personally and not let any of you be dragged along. There is a bridge, Kannabi bridge, the Iwa nin will use it to cross into our lands… and I'm sending you to stop that from happening. I will send you three after Kakashi becomes a Jōnin. I won't be there because I have to fight on the at the front."

"But sensei—"

"Look, you weren't supposed to know this just yet, so don't tell anyone…" He faltered ever so slightly, eyes casting down before he shot them up again, eyes turning stern, "even the ANBU. I'm trusting you to keep this safe until I tell the other two."

—

 ** _You sure Minato will tell the Uchiha brat about it?_**

 _It's the right time to tell him since I'm already going to join the Jōnin exams. If he were to tell me first though, I would instantly try to make him give it to me as a solo mission… which Minato-san would reject._ Kakashi snorted as he picked at the plate with a kunai. _And besides, he knows that with you by my side, I can actually help stop the war._ He paused, giving Kurama a side look, _right?_

 ** _Yeah, well…_** Kurama groaned, rubbing at his temple as he stood next to Kakashi, leaning against the kitchen counter and occasionally popping the bubble with his nails, **_you're basically terrifyingly strong at this point. You have the old man's bloodline, you have the Sharingan which you need to acquire by now, and then you have me. Kurama the Kyūbi._** The fox paused and pulled himself away from the sink; he stood still for a moment before he sniffed the air. Something was weird about the currents… like as if someone was there. He looked around for any suspicious behaviour before turning his focus onto Kakashi. **_Kit, what level of security did your old man put?_**

"A lot of A's, and a few S', why?" Kakashi asked aloud, placing the last plate on the rack with an eyebrow raised in question, wiping his hand on the towel. "Is something wrong?" He moved closer to Kurama, who had moved down to the doorway. The kitchen was at the back of the house, so it was possible for an attack behind them. But then again, some people like attacking from the front—now those people are very

 ** _I need you to stay behind me. I hate this feeling I'm having._** He paused, **_if any ANBU strikes now, I will surely kill them._** Kurama received a punch to the abdomen which caused him to wheeze out obscenities. **_What!?_** Kurama almost went hysterical, **_we're having a war here!_** He moved away from the boy, keeping his arm out to his reach in case something did happen—the traps by all the doors were removed. The fox sucked in a breath and spun round, grabbing at Kakashi's frail frame. **_We need to move!_** He shouted as he jumped out of the kitchen window that led to the forest. A few—a lot of kunai and shuriken whizzed past Kurama's ears and he dropped Kakashi by a tree, spinning around again but with a deadly growl leaving his lips.

The attack left Kurama in an angered state, only to have it disappear in seconds when he recognised who it was. **No way.** Kurama was paralysed for a split second before he snapped around and instantly shifted into his wolf form (a smaller size, mind you); he pulled Kakashi onto his back and sprinted out of the Hatake compound. It was too soon, too soon and Kurama wasn't expecting it at all… and neither did Kakashi; the boy had a deathly grip in his fur, eyes screwed shut as he moan in pain—the power he just messed with was too dark for Kakashi. It was one of Indra's blood, Kurama realised; the kid wouldn't have such pain if he was of an Asura bloodline since he was the Yang, and Indra was the Yin.

 _It hurts._ Kurama cursed inwardly as he heard, and ran faster; the screams filled his ears as he ran down the village. He had nowhere to go—if he went into the forest, Kakashi wouldn't survive and the kid would kill Kurama anyway for leaving them in the open for Iwa nin to attack. Kakashi needed Kushina. Desperately. He felt the Sharingan locked on him and heard a warning: _Don't look into his eyes… can't lose you—_ The fox clamped his teeth and just kept running, not wanting to look; the Hatake compound was too far from the office, and he just had to slap Kakashi mentally. Why live so far from the one who can effectively help? Kurama felt a shift on his back and snapped.

 **Don't you dare use your chak—!**

"Raiton: Shichū Shibari!" (Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind) Kakashi rang out; four giant rock pillars were summoned around the attacker, immobilising him as bolts of lightning shot out. Lightning cackled and waltz, and Kakashi hoped it did something—he felt Kurama suddenly stop in his tracks, skidding on the road as he let Kakashi lower himself onto the ground. The civilians backed off, cowering as they tried to get to a safe distance. Messing with the Hatake and the Kyūbi meant suicide. When the four pillars receded into the ground, Kurama walked ahead, slowly and carefully… just in case another attack was done; he kept Kakashi locked behind him.

The attacker sprung up from the ground and sucked in a breath as he jumped into the air, "Fūton—"

 **Hiraishin!**

Kakashi was thrown into a wall… if that _was_ what he was thrown into—damn Kurama for learning the Hiraishin all too quickly. Kakashi was just about to get up and continue _his_ fight when there was a shout exploding into his ears and he slapped his hands over his pair, trying to get his brain to stop pounding. The Yin was enough to send rage into his blood, and it was enough to open old wounds that were inflicted on Kakashi—but what was worse, the wounds inflicted were from the life previously; the wound on his abdomen by Zabuza was sliced open, the wound on his left eye tore, the cuts on his legs peeled, and all the whip-like marks along his spine ripped. He felt hands on his shoulders and he screamed out pain.

 _You know… I was waiting for this moment to finally talk to you, my dear little Kashi. It's been so long, don't you think?_ The voice paused, _do you really think you can change your history and save Obito? Do you really think you can placate the Kyūbi with the level of anger he has buried in his heart? Please, a child like you doesn't understand the hardships we Yin go through. You're the Yang, and you always experience the best._ The voice pushed Kakashi to his limits, and another scream shredded.

The word 'king' on his arm flared and the chakra wrapped around his frame, pushing any entity away from him. He fuzzily heard the contact his sensei made with the desk, but didn't take it into account. The Hiraishin he started to preform was had a force enough to leave the floor cracking under both his feet; he jumped, and the fist was ready, making a sickening descent to the male who had made a connection with his mind. Red chakra wrapped around the fist and threw the male a good distance away. There was muffled boom when the male was thrown into the ground before that male stood.

"My, my, you sure have grown."

" _Shut up, Madara._ " Kakashi growled out the shout, the blood-red eyes gleaming, "I'm not in the mood to play cat and mouse. Just what the fuck are you doing here." That was not a question—why would it be when Kakashi hated the life out of the Uchiha?

Kakashi's attacker, Madara, wiped at his chapped lip whilst he chuckled lowly at the power Kakashi acquired in such a short time. His eyes gone Sharingan flickered to Kakashi's frame, taking in the sight of the Kyūbi's chakra protecting him. It was perfect—just what he needed. If he could combine his Susanō with the power of the nine tails, the world would be his and Kaguya would have no choice but to give him what he deserves. But all were put to the dust when he noticed the Kyūbi finally returned to Kakashi, but the seal on his stomach was gone, leaving the two distant relatives by themselves.

"You're here too bloody soon." Kakashi snapped, placing a hand on his stomach to let the seal return. A bright light shone and he watched Madara jerk to a stop, noticing his plan to get the Kyūbi was going to much harder, "you're not touching him." He was about to attack until he felt two hands on his shoulders, he whipped around and took into account that it was just Kushina and Minato, "what are you two doing here?" He squeaked, eyes wide as if they blew his plan—what plan?—to pieces, "it's not safe!"

"Says the kid!" Kushina snapped and glared at the Uchiha as she moved Kakashi's frame to the back, both her and Minato stepping in front to cover the Hatake with their bodies, "I can never trust you people."

Madara laughed, the sudden noise scaring at least three quarters of the civilians who still stuck around to watch. "It's always the Uchiha, hm?" He asked, a sneer plastered onto his lips almost a second after a chuckle he mustered, "the Uchiha are your Yin, Minato. I just don't understand why it took you so long to realise."

Minato fought for an attack but was stopped by two Chūnin, judging by their chakra reserves—shit, they happened to be his own students. He looked down and saw the light in their eyes had disappeared. It was a Genjutsu, a strong one at that—he made very tight fists at his side and he started to growl menacingly, "let my students go!" The glint in his sky blue eyes was meant to kill.

"Oh, it's not me who has control over them." Madara replied, a slight coo in his voice as he pointed to the one who did.

The Hokage's (and everyone else's) eyes travelled, and followed the point; the civilians gasped, Kushina wanted to scream again, and Minato—he didn't even know what to believe. Kakashi stared down at Madara, his eyes no longer the Biju's, they were… not exactly his own, either. Three tomoe. He had blood red eyes and three tomoe. The goddamn Sharingan. Minato fought for his voice, and mumbled: "Kakashi, you—"

 ** _Don't do it!_**

"Hiraishin!" Kakashi managed to mumble out, disappearing from sight. Minato made a move forward but all his efforts cut off as a protective barrier of lightning formed around the two fighters. Kakashi jumped and attacked, Madara did the same, and their kunai and shuriken started whizzing; their feet danced, arms blocked, and chakra fizzed. A fight with a Kage level nin was tough. But would he show Madara tough. He took punches to the face, kicks to the legs—he threw them all back twice as hard (maybe it was twice as hard—not so sure), "Kouseitan Kawa, Denki Hifu no Jutsu!" (Element Skin, Electric Skin Technique) The next thing he registered was the look of absolute madness in Madara's eyes—this was the power the old man needed to control the Datara, and he realised that with the Sharingan, and the Rinnegan that Madara would've stolen, he could take over the world in a second.

 ** _Brat! Stop, that's enough! The Yin's too much for you!_**

Madara watched Kakashi as his skin turned into a striking neon blue—Raiton's signature colour, and he heard the crackles; the old man readied his body for the impact as the boy readied his hands, and Madara watched as the kid create four Raiton clones, and finally heard him shout out one last Jutsu: "Dendō Bakuhatsu no Jutsu!" (Electric Detonation Technique)

 ** _You're going to kill yourself with the amount of chakra you're using!_**

Kakashi ignored Kurama's warning, and his clones exploded. The lightning crackled and shot into Madara's chakra system. What everyone heard was a shriek of pain that Madara himself did not expect, his scream loud enough to bring a shiver down their spines before the light died. Madara was left standing, but keeled over almost a second later and sunk into the ground by some form of matter. Kakashi advanced, but Kurama let himself be exposed once more and stopped the kid before he made another move.

 **Lower the barrier already!** Kurama snarled, trying to calm the Hatake; he shook the boy's shoulders, trying to get the boy back onto the surface. He found his actions to be rather useless after three tries and had no choice but to return back inside, taking over Kakashi's body to dispel the barrier. There was a single crackle when the barrier was removed, and when Kurama left Kakashi just to check up on him, the boy collapsed into a heap and consequently ending the Genjutsu both Rin and Obito were under. The fox yelped and caught him just before he could hit the ground and held the boy close. **Kit! Can you hear me!?** Kurama shouted, shaking Kakashi's limp frame—

No way—

"Bakakashi? Oy!"

It couldn't be—

"Kashi-kun!"

Please, don't let that be—

 **Wake up!**

No one moved as they were left at a standstill. So many things happened in just 40 minutes, and no one accepted what their brains recorded. A high level Chūnin fighting against the toughest Uchiha you could find—the Uchiha being Hashirama's old companion (how many years ago was that?)—and to have the kid blowing the lights out of the older male with three, no, four Jutsu including one of the Second Hokage and the Yondaime's own. The boy no longer covered his face, he no longer hid his identity. The Sharingan he bore was of three tomoe, the level in which only the older Uchiha gained through experience. **Come on, Kit,** Kurama tried again, three of his tails planting themselves on Kakashi's frame when his skin's temperature dipped, **come back to us… _don't let Indra take you from me._**

Silence played—

Too much.

The Yin was too much.

 ** _You're only 13, goddammit!_**

"Kyū, do something!" It was Kushina. "You can't let him fade!"

An ear-splitting, desperate gasp for air erupted and the boy's chest convulsed as he sucked in the very much needed oxygen. His eyes, now reverted back to their normal grey, widened and he snapped into a sit; his arms lashed out to wrap around Kurama's neck as he released a shaky breath, burying his nose into his fur. There were countless of words being spilt from the boy's lips—not caring for the eyes locked onto the both of them. Kurama could catch a few, and only one made his heart crumble: "please don't leave me in the dark anymore. I can't take it."

 **I'm so sorry.** Kurama whispered out, wrapping his own limbs around the boy, **the Yin was too much for you to handle, I'm so sorry.** The fox pulled away, keeping Kakashi's frame stuck to his as he looked up to Minato, **perform the memory seal on the civilians, leave the kids and your wife out of it.** Kurama watched as Minato rushed to do what the Kyūbi commanded, knowing that decision was the best for them all right then. Kurama's eyes flitted over to Kushina and he peeled Kakashi away.

The action made Kakashi reach for Kushina, and his arms made it around her neck, earning him a whimper. "Kaa-san." Kakashi managed despite the paleness his skin took. Just to hug Kushina… he would've died to feel her touch when he was back in his old self. Her hug saved him from the loneliness, from the cold. Yes, Kushina was loud, but it was nice to hear her voice again. It was nice to soak in her motherly touch.

Kushina broke and wrapped her arms around Kakashi, her own frame shaking as the fear of losing Kakashi left her; the warmth of her chakra seeping into his skin. "Please don't do that to me again," she muttered, sniffing back a sob, "please, please, _please_ listen to Kyū next time. I cannot lose you." How could she? Kakashi was just like a son for her. Kakashi lost his mother when he was only two years old, and then lost his father at four. Kakashi only had her and Minato by his side, sure, he had Obito and Rin, but what about people who could fill his parents' shoes? Kakashi lived through with eyes of hate thrown at him, always called 'Sakumo's brat', or 'the White Fang's mistake'. She could finally understand why he was easily manipulated by the Yin. She couldn't take it, and she let loose her breaking sob, "I'm _so_ sorry."


	3. I am if You Are

"Sensei, you're not going to believe me when I say this… and I don't really care because you really need to believe me."

The two were standing in front of the gate, needing to talk somewhere no one in the village could hear them (and hopefully no one from the outside either). Minato had dragged his sensei out before starting the conversation, ignoring his sensei's whines and complains about being dragged away from the "most crucial part of his research" which the Hokage had to snort at. Jiraiya stood opposite to Minato, arms crossed in utter defeat and deflation when he had to be forcefully removed from his previous and precious area before he drew a sigh, rubbing his nape. "What is it? And tell me quickly so I can return to my precious research."

A poker-faced look arrived at both the fact Jiraiya dared to hurry him and the fact that he cared for his research more than his student (ouch), before Minato simply said without— _with_ much difficulty, "the Kyūbi's seal was transferred from Kushina to Kakashi without any harm being done." The ball of tightness landed at the base of his throat, and he was itching to reach into his mouth and pull it out.

There was a silence that Minato never did like; it was very strong, like as if the moon could suddenly drop onto his face, and he could hear that loud and clear. The face on sensei's face was scary, too. It happened to be _very_ stoic, a look the older male would never have stitched on his face unless he was stal— _watching_ wom— _people_. There was only a sign of a tic right above his eyebrow, and then the twitch before the question. "Which kid did you say?"

A gulp before he spoke, he hated when Jiraiya had to ask a specific detail he wished he misheard but didn't, "Kakashi."

"The Hatake?"

"He's the only one of Konoha who is actually called a scarecrow… as far as I am aware… sensei."

That was when both Minato and Jiraiya knew the elder never blew up like that ever since… ever since never, actually. He spent his whole life trying to better that kid's life (Minato knew), and now to hear that the kid was burdened with a monster that could potentially kill him with one single word, or a single flick of his finger, or maybe his own chakra— _or_ _whatever it happened to be._ Kakashi wasn't supposed to be—"why the hell is he the Jinchūriki!?"

"Jiraiya sensei!" Minato snapped, his hand flying to cover Jiraiya's own; the latter retaliated, flailing his arms and legs to try and get the blond off of him. But the shorter male only followed him onto the ground and they started rolling across the ground, no where close to stopping their little… fight. "You cannot just blurt that out!" Minato warned, or at least tried to, "what if someone hears you!?"

" _EXCUSE ME_!?" A shout—which happened to be so loud that Minato swore his ears started bleeding at that moment—erupted as they tumbled into the line of trees, "why can't I blurt out that goddamn sentence when it's goddamn Hatake Kakashi we're talking about here!? And besides, we're rolling into trees— _TREES_ , AND WE'RE EDGING AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE, AND NO ONE CAN HEAR US AT THIS DISTANCE—PLEASE, I THOUGHT _YOU_ WERE THE SMART ONE."

"OF COURSE THEY CAN, YOU OLD MAN." Thank goodness this wasn't his girlfriend Minato was dealing with—or else he would've dug his own grave before this whole thing happened because that woman was _terrifying_ , "you're shouting as loud as one can get—the world doesn't need to be shifted just yet, sensei." Minato growled, trying to keep the male under control. _Under control._ "No one should know about this, so please just keep quiet!" _Before Kakashi gets attacked right beneath our noses—I doubt Sakumo would want that to happen to Kakashi._ Jiraiya's fumbling finally died and the elder glared at the younger male as the latter finally peeled himself off. "Look, I happened to read the research Kakashi came up with, and found out that the Sage had two sons."

"The Sage? You mean _the_ Sage?"

"Yes, that one." Minato answered, brushing off the dirt on his cloak, "anyway, I learnt that the two sons created a seal that contained ten percent of the Kyūbi's chakra, and that ten percent carried the most important bit the Jinchūriki needed to fully control the beast."

 _(Fear is a need in living. Without it, there is no such thing as courage.)_

"The Bijū's cloak, I'm guessing."

"Exactly." The shorter male nodded as he helped his sensei to a stand; a small apology escaping his lips, "to be honest, after reading the scrolls and books of information, I still don't know what in the world is happening, and that is until I read one scroll… it happened to be a… well, it was some sort of family tree. Really faded, but still readable." The look on Jiraiya's face urged him to continue, "the Sage's bloodline… carried through his son, called his _Yin_ , falls all the way through the Uchiha clan, and finally stops at one female."

"I don't think I like where this is going, Minato. Please don't tell me it's—"

"Her name's Maiko, and that is all I know about her."

There was a sharp inhale and Jiraiya drew a hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose as his brows started to furrow. The name—he knew the name so very well. She was an old friend, a pretty damn good-looking lady of Konoha. He remembered that even Tsunade respected her, and highly. Maiko was a marvellous kunoichi with ebony hair, and ebony eyes to match and who was of great Ninjutsu skill—and not to mention, an expert in Iryō Jinjutsu. She had a face that carried beauty known far and wide, a voice that soothed, and a smile that embedded itself onto one child when he smiled. He still remembered her touch when she tried to comfort him after Tsunade's rejection to his love. She had a mother's caring fingers, weaving themselves into his hair as he petted his head, lips spilling out complains on how Tsunade was being mean, and assurances that if Jiraiya did something that could change the world in a good way, Tsunade would open her heart a tad bit.

"Sensei?"

 _(Though life is mysterious in its own way, it is worth it… don't you think?)_

The said male opened his eyes, and a sad look made it onto his face when he realised he was buried into his thoughts a bit too deeply for his own liking; a tight smile formed as he tipped his head to the side—the look was a look that could be interpreted as the male's heart was crumbling on the inside, and the expression was enough to send Minato to a deafening drop: "her maiden name's Uchiha Maiko." A small pause, and then that single chuckle—reminding himself to not break… he _did_ promise, anyway, "however," he said, "us Sānin remember her as Hatake Maiko, the Lady of Konoha… and Kakashi's mother."

—

How long had it been after that incident? Now this question was tough to answer since the village was fixed too quickly for anyone to notice anything strange or anything slightly different thank usual, Obito and Rin swore to not say anything, and Kakashi moved in with Kushina and Minato—it was the only way to make sure he wasn't attacked by anyone. But did Kurama miss the Hatake compound. It was a nice distance out of the main square, but a bad distance away from the Hokage; the training grounds were good, actually, they were the best… or so says Kakashi, and Minato. Kurama didn't spend all that long, but it was nice to know something the Naruto brat would never know—and there he was, thinking about Naruto again. Now that Kakashi let the fox see his memories, now his own—okay, it wasn't really memories, it was more of a… vision, or some sorts—was returning to him, he remembered the moments when Naruto was always casted aside, always been called a demon. For the last time, he was only a child—oh, for goodness sake!

 _Will you stop glaring at my butt?_

Kurama blinked out of his thoughts and looked around, noticing he moved to the kitchen. He was standing in the corner, arms folded on his chest, and apparently, his eyebrows were furrowed as he was thinking… and it looked like—yeah, it looked like he was glaring at Kakashi's ass. **Sorry, your highness.** Kurama snorted with little enthusiasm, letting the sarcasm dip. He caught Kakashi's snarl of warning but Kurama ignored it and made his way to the kid, who happened to be washing the dishes. Again. Doesn't the kid even take care of his hands? **_You ought to stop doing things for them._**

 _Why?_ Kakashi replied, scrunching his nose at the fox's words, _they've done so much for me, so why not?_

 ** _You do realise that you've done over a thousand missions._** Kurama added, leaning against the counter just like last time—though he kept his hands away from the sink, **_not to mention 42 of those are S-Rank, you've done more than Minato himself! He's only done—_**

 _39 S-Rank missions. I know._ Kakashi quickly interjected, afraid that the fox would linger on the topic far longer than he predicted. He stepped away from the sink, drying his hands after placing the dishes onto their rack. "But what is the point you're trying to make exactly?" He asked, turning on his feet to make his way out of the kitchen. He heard the soft patters from Kurama's feet following him and he planted himself on the couch, patting the empty space next to him.

Kurama let loose a groan and shifting into his fox form—not exactly fox form, it was more of his real form… but of a tinier size… he appeared very _cat-like_ —and curled into a ball, snorting that time, **you've done too much Mr. I-Have-Completed-1141-Missions.**

"You _remembered_ how many missions I went on?"

 **Ouch, yes.** Kurama whined as he dug his finger—claw, or paw-thing—into his ear at Kakashi's sudden outburst, **someone has to keep track of your life—and uh, that someone has to be me since I'm going to be stuck with you for however long years.** He took a moment to pause, looking at Kakashi's very shocked face—oh yeah, _now_ he could clearly see what the brat was thinking because his mask was gone for good (brat finally respected his father)—and didn't expect the next move. Being the size of a cat, he should have a very good reaction speed, but for this—no idea why, but he was slower than usual. The next thing he felt were arms, very warm arms wrapping around his small frame, his thick nine tails pressed against his own build at the sudden contraction. He was cut off his air, but loosened after his squeak.

He was hugged.

An unusual feeling. A very unusual for the Kyūbi. He had never been hugged that way, maybe Hagoromo did, but never with someone… someone like the Hatake brat. It was a very… snug feeling, almost like a feeling that Kurama would happily find himself in. He had been shunned for how many centuries? Locked up in a jar, locked up in a person, locked away from everyone— _everyone_ loathed Kurama, everyone wanted his chakra. Needed his chakra. But the Hatake was so much different. So much different that Kurama found his nose snuggling against the base of the brat's neck. How long would it take to find someone this warm? Possibly a decade or more, depends on how fast his future self let Naruto grow on him.

 _(He can help you change, he can help you grow.)_

Kakashi peeled himself away, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he gulped down a pack of air, "sorry," he said, eyes casted away from the fox, "that was… involuntary, let me just… get back to work." He coughed once and pushed himself into a stand, making his way back into the kitchen. _What the hell, Kakashi?_ He thought to himself, dragging a hand down his face with a groan. _Stupid, stupid me. Kurama hates all sorts of contact, so why the hell did I just do that? Geez, Naruto's habit is growing onto me._ He released a groan and continued… chopping the carrots, which he just started right then. The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he left he kitchen with the knife in hand, popping his head out of the doorway, "ah, sensei!"

"For the last time, it's 'tou-san'!" Minato growled as he snapped his hands up and into his hair, grabbing onto several locks and pulling, "stop calling me that, Kashi! It makes me feel so… so old, and I am _not_ old!"

 **Aren't you old, though?**

Kakashi had to drop the knife and rush forward to hold Minato back from killing the fox; his sensei's killer intent was so loud—"sensei, calm yourself!" Kakashi squeaked as he tried his utter best to hold back the older male—though it was actually quite tough because the older male _was_ nearly double his height and double his weight. oh, the striking reality stung Kakashi to his core. Was it too much to ask that he went back in time with his older body? Yes? Fine, he'll shut up for now.

"Just because my blond hair's dulling, it doesn't mean I'm old, you fox!" Minato roared, arms flailing around as he tried to peel away from Kakashi's hold, "let me at him, Kashi!"

"NO!" Kakashi howled, pulling Minato into the kitchen, and a good distance away from the growing-tired fox, "unless you want Kaa-chan to find you with all the cuts and bruises and whatnot—then how the hell are you supposed to tell her what happened? You can't just say that you attacked the Kyūbi because he called you old—heck, she'll kill you for heading in so blindly."

Minato stopped in a split second, and removed Kakashi's arms from himself as he started staring at the kid with shock, "you call Kushina 'Kaa-chan', and yet you call me 'sensei'?" He paused, "why!?"

"Because you've been teaching me since I was six! _Six_! That's seven years down the line, I can't just call you 'tou-san'! Unlike Kaa-chan, whom has the best mother-like nature!" Kakashi explained while it was his turn to flail his arms about, "come on! Cut me some slack, sensei! Sensei!" Kakashi ran after the retreating form of the Hokage—his blond hair, usually defying gravity, gone droop because Kakashi wouldn't call him what he wanted the child to call him.

 _(He's a stubborn one, but you'll love him.)_

Kurama watched from the sofa and drew a snort—he had to say, the exchange Kakashi and the blond ball of sappiness was highly entertaining—before returning back to his ball before he felt the scruff of his neck grabbed and he was hauled off the furniture, he lashed out in anger because he was so close to falling asleep before he saw the flash of red—it was Kushina. **What the hell do you want, brat?**

"Stop sleeping." Kushina answered Kurama's question, lowering him to the floor. There was a slight shift in the atmosphere and the fox faded into his other form, his man-like existence cutting into Kushina's view, "like seriously, Kakashi's made Jōnin just three days ago, I wouldn't be surprised that the Minato would send him on a few missions." She paused and went back tot he entrance of their apartment, picking up Minato's sandals, "I expect _you_ to _help_ him."

 **What am I? A monster who doesn't care for humans?** The look on Kushina's face was his answer, **oy, I'm not all that bad. I just have a major anger issue.** He snorted once (and again) and moved away from his previous Jinchūriki, now actually opting to help Kakashi settle his issue with Minato. The fox found this all too weird at first, and he still found it that way. He believed Minato and Kushina had hated him to the core of his soul, but… just by his own mere words of truth, they succumbed to it. But how? And why? Was it all for the world's sake? Kakashi's? How about Naruto? Did Minato finally figure out the risk he will be taking if Kushina were to give birth? The Hokage was a smart man, so why not? Kurama sighed at the thought, and pushed the door open—

"Ryōken!"

—

 _"Maiko!"_

 _The raven-haired women with strong ebony eyes, once her name reached her ears, stayed put in her spot—right in front of the market—opting to watch a rather familiar white-haired man running towards her still frame. She waited until he was by her side before she spoke, "what is it, Jiraiya?"_

 _"I just wanted to tell you congrats!"_

 _"What for?" The confused look on her face just made her a tad bit prettier than Tsuande herself. Damn, why didn't he make the first move? Damn Sakumo and his quick actions._

 _Jiraiya forced the blush to recede back into his skin before coughing out once and into a fist, only to crack a grin just after. "I heard you're expecting!"_

 _The Lady of Konoha blushed several degrees, hiding her cheeks with her hands as a timid smile made it to her rose red lips; she laughed softly and her eyes crinkled to match crescent moons, "thanks, Jiraiya-kun," she paused, dropping her arms back to her side before humming, "say, how's Minato?"_

 _"He's doing alright—thank you for helping him out." The Sānin quickly added, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "he's out cold, but I think he's doing better than the first time!"_

 _Maiko nodded, "of course he is, I'm the one who helped." She laughed brightly before tucking a loose strand behind her ear, somewhat looking sheepish at her own remark, "anyway, I ought to go… Sakumo must be looking for me by now."_

 _"Aish," Jiraiya said, shaking his head with the click of his tongue; crossing his arms over his chest, "that man, as much as I love him, I hate him, too." He paused and continued after Maiko's confused look returned, "he snagged himself a perfect one!"_

 _"Geez!" Maiko proceeded to slap Jiraiya on his arm, laughing once again._

 _The Sānin was mesmerised, and why? She was an Uchiha._ ** _An Uchiha_ **_. A guy like him would never have a chance to go near such a person! They kept themselves secluded most of the time, and married within their own compound, but she had left and moved in with Sakumo; something everyone was surprised to hear. The one thing he hated was how the family, hers in particular, stared down at her like as if she betrayed their blood. Jiraiya hated that because she found her one true love and to have the family look at her in that way—but she was fine, she told him, well, repeated to him every single time he asked her about it. As much as she wanted her family to respect her decision, she very well knew they wouldn't. The only time where she felt like one of them once again was when she awakened her Mangekyō; Jiraiya hadn't seen it, but he knew it was something extraordinary, something far weirder and more complex than the average type. Probably it had something to do with time? It seemed possible—but then again, anything was possible._

 _"Hey, you're thinking too much." Jiraiya blinked as he heard Maiko, eyes scattering and finding themselves resting on her face. She recognised that look on his own façade, and a soft smile was triggered, "I'm doing okay, so don't worry about it! Sakumo is_ ** _my_ **_family; you, Tsunade, even that cute little Minato." She paused, settling herself to chuckle, "I am no longer an Uchiha, I'm now a Hatake. I'm now the Lady of Konoha—how cool is that?" She paused yet again, fiddling with her fingers as she shifted her feet, "I guess… I have to soak myself in compliments for the time I have left."_

 _"You haven't told—"_

 _"No." She interjected, "he mustn't know, and the Uchiha doesn't care."_

 _"You have to tell Sakumo—"_

 _"He will find out eventually—he's the White Fang: the smart one." She added just as quickly, shaking her head with another laugh escaping her lips, "I have a letter for you to give my son."_

 _The male cracked a smile—Maiko always dreamed to having a boy, "his name?"_

 _"If it is a boy—it must be a boy because he will be so very cute since I'm pretty and Sakumo's handsome—Kakashi." Maiko replied, handing over an envelope—it wasn't think, there was a possibility of it being a home to only one sheet of paper (her handwriting's small), "give it to him when the time is right. I trust you with this. Please don't ever forget."_

 _"I won't." A pause, "I promise you."_

 _—_

The next thing Kurama was aware of was that Minato was planted right on his chest—the two instantly flew out of the room, only to collide into Kushina and the three were thrown out of the building. The single boom that sounded wrecked the village for a good five seconds before the ANBU came in and caught the three before any of them could make contact with the ground; Lynx had Minato whilst Bear had Kushina; Boar had Kurama, and she moved away very quickly since the chakra pouring out of Kurama was too immense for her to hold. The fox growled, remembering to keep his human form in check whilst checking up on the other two. **What the heck did you do!?** Kurama howled, his feet almost booming as he stored closer to Minato.

"I didn't do anything—!"

Glass shattered and two forms—one with silver locks, and the other with stark ebony—shot out from the apartment; Kakashi had a hound locked onto his chakra, and the other had a fiery dragon made of pure Katon. Kurama didn't know who the other one was, but easily suspected he was dangerous, the chakra he withheld was immense as heck—the fox jumped and threw Kakashi out of the line of fire only to have his build scorching from the attack; he growled and tackled the assailant straight on, letting his chakra explode. Red chakra screamed and the assailant flew back a good 75 feet, enough time for Kurama to make sure Kakashi wasn't hurt. He was hidden by the trees, Kurama knew, and focused his senses on the Hatake; a small groan made it to his ears and he wasted no time—he managed to get back inside Kakashi before the attacker designed the ambush—Kakashi pushed himself into a stand and blocked an uppercut to his chin.

"Katon: Ōrashi no Ryu!" (Fire Release: Raging Storm of The Dragon) The attacker shrieked out, his skin turning ablaze.

The man-gone-young jumped back before he could be inflamed, his eyes narrowing as he tried to get his senses back on track. _Kurama, that… that Jutsu!_

 ** _No shit, this guy's a true Katon master._**

Kakashi watched as his assailant (how many more must he fight until they realise it's too hard to get him?) slam his palms onto the ground, unleashing a raging column of fire, and successfully encaging him within it. The Hatake had no choice but to use Suiton since Katon could only be stopped by that nature—the thing was, even if Kakashi could preform Suiton, it was still a handful to conjure since his chakra had a lightning affinity—only. _I think you need to stock up your chakra for me, Kurama. I don't think my chakra is enough for anything after this Jutsu._

 ** _Do it._**

After finishing the string of hand signs, Kakashi didn't hesitate with his chosen Jutsu, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique) Was the Jutsu he chose, and he took into account of the emotion of recognition flowing out of Kurama. The fox know that it was powerful attack that could create a huge current of water in the shape of a dragon, which is then sent towards the opponent. Essentially a devastating single target attack, few are the Shinobi who can suffer a hit from this technique and continue to fight.

Kurama seriously hoped that Kakashi's Jutsu would put an end in this stupid fight—water surged and collided, and there was a gag for air. The forest was flooded in an instant, and not even waiting for Kakashi's command, Kurama drew himself to the surface and jumped up high and past the trees—his eyes scanned for any friendlies (or any other foes) but his sense caught Minato. **Over here, you brat!** He shouted, catching the blond's attention as he start gathering his chakra within.

Minato caught the shout and summoned his chakra, then in split nanoseconds he appeared next to Kakashi—having already placed his seal on his tantō. Kurama's chakra was enough to keep himself standing in mid-air, and Minato had to hold onto Kakashi's outstretched hand to keep him from dropping no less than 50 feet. "Do you have any idea who this guy is?" He paused, "his Katon is amazing."

 **Now's not really the time to be ogling at his power, kid.** Kurama, not really wanting to recede into the shadows just yet, drew a short snort, **this one's a Rogue… must be looking for the price on the Kit's head.**

"Kakashi has a price on his head?"

 **With power like this—like mine—he's already made it to a handful of Bingo Books. Not to mention he's already a Jōnin… which makes this really all the more worse than it should be.** Kurama explained, answering the Hokage's question as he poured his chakra into Minato, just enough to let the Kage stand on his own two feet. He surveyed the chakra pouring out of the assailant's hands—it was merely pure Katon. Not unless Kurama was losing the ability to sense Chakra. This guy could be of Uchiha descent, knowing that the Clan was famous for their Katon abilities, and he _did_ have black hair… the eyes, not too sure. The mask was tempting enough for Kurama's claws—anyway, the guy didn't seem like an Uchiha as well: his Chakra was way too off, and his Chakra reserves were kind of shit, if Kurama were to look close enough— **who the heck are you? I can't decipher you.**

The assailant cackled to loudly for Kurama's liking, and started jumping onto branch after branch until he was in Kurama's line of view; a manic sneer could be sensed even with the mask, "that's the point, why the hell should I let you read me?" There was a moment of silence, and it was Kurama's mistake for moving too slow—"Gouka Hataka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Hellfire Clap) It was a Jutsu of catastrophic might: calling forth chakra from their deepest reserves. Since the last hand sign was Hitsūji (as Kurama finally saw), in that moment a wave of destructive fire flew, engulfing all around them. Spread about in a circle, that technique also had the nasty side-effect of searing through anything it comes into contact with. If in its path lay a large basin of water, it would evaporate in seconds, for example. Defensive Jutsu are defeated by this technique as well, for its intensity was just out there.

 **Oh, sweet fish!** Kurama growled out and unleashed his cloak—a warm gold of some sorts engulfing the Kage and himself, also not forgetting to create a massive wall just by the side of Konoha that could be affected by the fire, Kurama didn't know how much it would hold because he was already feeling the scorching heat… whoever gave birth to this kid, let Kurama kill them quickly and quietly in their sleep. There was a chirp by his left, easily catching his senses—he tossed Minato over his shoulder and took the hit; the air was driven out and he was thrown into the line of surviving trees. The fire died, leaving nothing but blackened trees and ash. The fox couldn't stop himself from sliding across the landscape, so he threw Minato to his front, thus letting his own skin—Kakashi's—make contact with a few—a lot of them—trees. **Shit!** The beast cried out, clamping his teeth together as the groan was forced out of his lungs. Knowing that he had no choice but to keep Minato close, he dodged all the balls of fire crashing down and aiming for his— _Kakashi's_ feet. He was very thankful for the boy being light on his feet—

 _Let me up there, you'll get hurt!_

 ** _This is your body, if you aren't aware!_**

 _At least I'm getting myself hurt, now move!_

Kurama was forced back into the pit and Kakashi drew himself out—Minato was _heavy_ —and he let his sensei back on his feet. "Sensei, I need you to go back to the village—"

"There is no way I'm leaving you—"

" _Tou-san_." Kakashi pressed, his eyes settling in stern, "you're not leaving me by protecting the village. Even if you are considered our strongest shinobi, this man cannot be defeated by you, not even that Forbidden Jutsu of yours. Now get going!" The silver haired man-turned-boy pushed the Hokage aside and successfully driving the older man away from the incoming barrage of kunai. The kid—it was Kurama instead—forced Minato to use his Hiraishin, moving to take his previous place in order to attract the assailant's view (with his hair, how could he not fail?). "Junsei Raikou Kunai no Jutsu!" (Pure Lighting Kunai Technique)

Then Kurama instantly remembered that Jutsu: he first saw it being done by an Iwa nin; the nin began to develop 4 kunai between his fingers that he can throw at his opponent, who happened to be Kakashi (or whichever Konoha nin it was) at the time. Many people often saw elemental techniques that take the form of throwing weapons as extremely low grade techniques, and the nin (definitely not Kakashi) often scoffed when they saw this technique occur (the ebony-topped idiotic shinobi just did). However, the technique was not the same as any traditional element technique. The kunai developed were made of pure, concentrated lightning, heated to the point that with the amount of power that they are thrown it it could go through almost anything it makes contact with and still do some damage. **_Geez,_** Kurama's sneer was loud enough to be heard before seen, ** _you weren't kidding. You really want to learn all those Jutsus._**

 _Please, I'm the Copy Ninja for a reason._ Kakashi didn't hesitate and threw the kunai; a whizz of crackles shot through the atmosphere. Only one missed its mark—one hit a shoulder, another hit a knee, and the last hit the foot. He heard the pained groan and the raven-haired male was thrown back a good distance away once more; Kakashi was just about to celebrate a successful attack but only to be—

 ** _Shit, keep away from him!_**

"Moushou Kaseiken!" (Fierce Flame Fist) A fabled level of mastery, a Jutsu that had the ability to paint the user as a demon. These flames were much more than to create fear—the destruction of the attack was also multiplied five-fold with the reason being that the flames are being worn by the user. However, that Jutsu was a make or break technique. At that stage of mastery, the explosion itself can be controlled enough so that the user remains unharmed, but the amount of chakra it takes to both control and create such force immediately forces the user to fight at his limits.

With the immediate realisation of what the Jutsu had been—"don't use that Jutsu!" Kakashi screamed out, leaping back several feet as fire start scorching. The fire was too hot even for an experienced nin like the Hatake. He didn't even react fast enough to evade an attack to the face. He shrieked as the fingers barely missed his nose and the nails made contact with his neck; the fingers dragged downwards, and four angry scratch marks formed. Kakashi's under-armour sizzled and ripped apart, skin and muscle were exposed.

"Don't tell me what to use to kill you, my _dear_ little sweet Kashi _-chan_."

 _That voice, I know it!—_ the old-turned-young was thrown into a nearby tree, his bones collapsing against the contact; he slid, only to have his hair caught by the male. He was pinned against the bark, and an awful smell of ash and burnt flesh flooded his nose. He was forced to look up, neck already straining; the fiery light of fire evaded his vision in an instant—he was shoved back into the pits of unconsciousness as Kurama took over, knowing the kid could only take so much. The fire died only for a second and that was when the face of the male was exposed: pale, and thin framed, more to lean than anything. His hair showed a slight droop, like as if his life turned for the worse—but what was so damn _wrong_ was with the smirk. A small pool of unknown fear flooded into Kurama's system, he knew it was Kakashi who finally got a taste. The assailant fished a sword from behind his frame and forced it through Kakashi's dominant arm, earning a yelp from Kurama; he quickly covered it with a growl, but was pushed to a standstill when the eyes flashed. The male started to shape-shift into a much leaner figure than before, a snake-like tongue darting out to lick at his lips as his hair grew to reach the middle of his spine.

 **You disgusting son of a man I wish was never born.** Kurama growled out his malice to his utter best—no wonder the Chakra smelt _so_ familiar, **why did you come back here?**

"I would never allow a scoundrel like _you_ to take what _I_ need," a growl no where near matching the killer fox's as if on purpose to be subtle, "and besides, I need him for all our benefits."

 **How could killing benefit all these innocent people?**

"My, my… thinking about the people now are we, Kyūbi-chan?" The male nearly cackled in amusement, "me being alive would benefit those without powers like ours."

 **Damn you, and damn your fucking experiments. Get the fuck out of Kakashi's life—he's mine.**

"That's where you're very wrong, my dear little Bijū," a booming pause of absolute silence, and then that sneer both Kakashi and Kurama remembered being so very deadly and very, very mad, "he's already _mine_."

 _(He may be strong, but he needs your help.)_

 **Orochimaru!** Kurama snarled and in an instant, Kakashi's frame was enveloped in a blood red chakra cloak. Skin peeled, and muscles were shown. The Sharingan's tomoe whizzed and the boy fell onto all fours. **Get the hell away from Kakashi, and get the fuck out of Konoha!** The fox launched himself at the Sānin and dragged his claws forth—three tails erupted and he heard the snake-like man cackle in amusement. Just that little sentence was enough to send the Kyūbi on a rampage, now the fox realised. His chakra whipped around like high velocity winds and slashed as the fox attacked; he couldn't stop it. How could he? Just when he could do something good, this bastard of a ninja threatened him. Him! Out of all people—beasts!

The snake shot his hand out to grabbed at the younger male's arm, only to hiss when the chakra was so violent—he couldn't lose his only instruments. He jumped back and tried to avoid all the ambushes; scars developed on his face, legs, and torso. He didn't even notice the fourth tail. What was left of the Hatake released a howl that was enough to send Orochimaru's eyes widening just a centimetre.

 _Enough!_ With that single scream, he woke to a start; he breathed in heavily with sweat running down the length of his cheek. His heart quickened to a rapid pace and he looked around—the bridge. Kannabi. _Shit._ How long was he out for? (Judging from the darkness of the sky, a long while because last time he remembered it was too bright for his sore eyes—or rather, _eye_.) And where the hell was Minato sensei anyway? (Probably went to the front lines of the fight since he was the powerful shinobi.) "Rin, where's sensei?" Kakashi asked with a slight growl in his voice, just that he hadn't spoke in a while, and he desperately needed water.

"You're finally up." Rin sighed in relief as it washed over her soft features, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she retracted her hands away from Kakashi's mid-section. She sat on her legs and fiddled with her fingers as she waited for Kakashi to push himself into a sit, "sensei had to take care of the front line." _Figures._ "Obito managed to save you from that boulder…"

"He didn't get trapped, did he?"

 **Of course not, you darn idiot for a Kit. I saved him.** The kid blinked and gave Rin a stare. Well, it wasn't Rin he was looking at. it was Kurama… in his human form. The beast had several bruises on his arms, cuts on his legs and a very pretty blackened eye. **What? You didn't want the kid to die for your sake, so I might as well butt in and save the day.**

"Thank you."

Kurama pushed back the blush that nearly evaded his cheeks as they wanted to paint themselves onto his skin. The smile Kakashi gave him was the same he recalled the kid's mother giving him before she passed. Maiko was a glorious women, or judging by the way she interacted with everyone (as seen in Kakashi's memories, to bad the kid couldn't see it for himself), and the Gyūki knew her. She treated him with respect. She treated all beasts with respect, Kurama guessed. She was a peculiar woman, but that just made her… her.

Rin didn't hold back her blush—the crush she had on Kakashi was lethal and very explicit—and she coughed into a fist, moving away from Kakashi, "right, so…" she started, "I have to check up on Obito. He's got his Sharingan, and Hashiri healed your wounds." She explained, noticing how Kakashi's hand automatically went to his left eye, "you don't need to worry about anything, he stopped the bleeding just in time to save your eye."

Kakashi didn't notice that Rin moved away until he felt the shift in the air when Kurama slid in to sit next to him; he felt skin grazing his own and didn't pull away. He tucked his knees against his chest and breathed out a breath he didn't realise he was holding for the past few seconds and gave Kurama a single look before giving him a grin. _You've gone soft, what happened while I was inside?_

 ** _Shut up, Kit._** There was a growl settling in the back of the fox's throat (the Jōnin knew that the monster didn't want to answer his question). **_Just remember I'm doing this for Naruto's sake._** The sentence brought a frown to Kakashi's face that flickered for a second (and no, it wasn't because he didn't answer his question) before the kid covered it with a laugh. The fox, out of no reason, shifted into his cat-sized fox form and curled himself into a small ball. **_But then again, he survives. I believe he can live to be the best without me, don't you think? I mean, it's you that I have to worry about._**

 _Why me?_ Kakashi asked, nose scrunching as he watched Rin tend to Obito's wounds—he missed that. _Them_.

 ** _You're mine. Simple as that._**

The silver-haired man-gone-young couldn't stop the flush rising in his cheeks and took the chance to bury his face in the cracks of his knees as he hugged them nearer to his chest; his heart pounded subtly enough that shocked him because the emotions running were going wild. He turned his head to the right, bringing the fox into his view; his hand reached down and his fingers found themselves in the beast's fur. _Thank you._

 ** _I'm not really doing anything that deserves your thanks, Kit._ **

_That's where you're wrong._ Kakashi interjected smoothly, _you saved everyone. Kushina will be able to give birth to Naruto with ease, Minato will definitely come home as a hero and teach Naruto his Jutsus, Obito will have a team of his own—possibly become Hokage, and Rin doesn't have to die._

Kurama flicked an eye open and sighed softly, nuzzling his nose into the crook. His ear twitched and he pushed himself into a stand—a four-legged stand that is—before growing in size just a tad bit. Kakashi had a feeling that with his little speech, it might have triggered something he wasn't looking forward to. The fox opened his mouth and a subtle: " **you and I need to talk** " left his lips.

The sudden choice of not using telepathy didn't catch Kakashi off his guard as he was expecting the fox to at least _something_ about it. He suppressed his groan with a monotonous look and he turned to the other two before he spoke, "sounds desperate."

"Go."

The pair bounded into the trees to their left after the single word, keeping a close distance between the other two; Kakashi shuffled his feet across the land nervously, knowing what is coming. He opened his mouth to say it, but couldn't find the voice. Kurama had the ability to see what Kakashi was dreaming, or what the other world was that he happened to be plunged into. He knew he had… had an argument with that… that son of a bastard—

Kurama closed the distance between the two, arms (he shifted back into his human form) reaching out and hands grabbing ai Kakashi's shoulder. **You better not let Orochimaru take you from me. What I said in that 'dream' was utterly true. You're mine, and I don't know how many bloody times I have to say it, but I will say it enough for him to get sick of it.** A pause and Kurama bit his lip, **the snake has many tricks up his sleeve, and will end up creating Tenzō to capture me; Danzo will take over the boy and use him to take your eyes—gosh, why are you everyone's hit list?** Kurama cut into his own sentence with a groan and a claw scratching his neck, **you have to realise that I won't be there for you every single time.**

"I know," Kakashi added with a nod of his head, "I lose you from time to time nowadays because the Chakra around this area is toxic for a Bijū, the neighbouring countries figured Konoha has the Kyūbi." He took a moment to pause, checking for any foreign signatures—there was nothing, as he predicted, and resumed, "but I can't lose you completely since the only thing that'll happen is that we'll both die."

—

Obito made it out alive with both Sharingan, and with those eyes, he was accepted as an Uchiha. At least something _had_ changed for the good of _everyone._ The Uchiha still hadn't acquired his second or third tomoe, thus the silver-haired Jōnin was determined to get Obito's Mangekyō. But how was Kakashi supposed to do it? Did he have to set Obito under a Genjutsu? Let him watch Rin get… _no._ Absolutely _not_. Kakashi would never use that image, and he promised himself after time sort of healed those wounds to a certain point. _Then what am I supposed to do?_ Kakashi thought to himself as he stepped into the Hatake compound after months. _Let him witness what he did in my reality? Let him see that he released you and killed so many?_

 ** _Might as well._** Kurama thought back as he snorted, resting in his dimension—Kakashi could barely feel the distress radiating from the Bijū after Kakashi's question, **_the boy would do anything to set things right, and if he saw that… well, let's just say he would do his best to avoid it from happening._**

The silver haired boy let loose a breath, feet taking him into the house; he mumbled out a small: "I'm home" knowing that he wouldn't get a reply. The house was as empty as ever, but Kurama made it slightly better. At least he didn't have to face the void alone.

He let his hitai-ate drop onto the floor as he untied it around his neck, eyes lowered as he made his way to his bed—a small huff escaped his lips as he made contact with the mattress; he rested his arm over his eyes, immediately feeling the power. His Sharingan was back, but felt odd. Kamui had a certain sensation, but this pair… felt… cold. The same cold feeling when Kurama was unleashed and controlled by Sharingan for the first time that night.

 ** _Stop thinking about it._**

"Shut up, Kurama." Kakashi whined, refusing to let his consciousness fade into the pit that Kurama lived in. "I can't stop thinking about the things that happened—I was sent here to fix everything."

 **That's why you have to let me handle it.**

Kakashi threw his arm off his face and his eyes went wide as saucers—the mattress dipped, his arms locked and legs pinned. A shadow loomed over him and stark blood red eyes bore into his own grey pair. "Kurama! What the fuck do you think you're doing!?"

 **You know, you can be such a brat at times.** The fox almost threw a profanity at the boy's face if it weren't for the cute look plastered on his façade and his flailing actions to try and get the beast-turned-human off of him, **look, as much as you think i'm a monster that lives for his own satisfaction… I nearly died when I lost you to that… that fucking Iwa-nin.** Kurama paused and took into account that Kakashi stopped struggling, **I wanted to rip him apart, and I would've done it if Rin hadn't stopped me.**

 _"Hashiri, please! Kakashi wouldn't want you to do such a thing!"_

 **Once you and Obito were saved, I told Rin to take care of you—I led her far away and hid her within the trees… and that was when I lost it. You had senbon littered all over you, your eye was slash an inch or two longer than previous, and my seal on you was gone. You died for a good five minutes.**

What.

 **I can't believe I'm saying this, but when I said you're mine, I mean it.** Kurama pressed Kakashi's arms further into the bed, ebony hair drooping to somewhat cover his eyes and suddenly reminded Kakashi of Sasuke, **it's not because you're the old man's descendent, and it's not because you understand what we Bijū have to fucking live through every single day and night—heck, I don't even know.**

 _"I know you're the Bijū, so why don't we do it like this? I give the girl this… excuse for a child, and you give me… well, you."_

 _"_ ** _Not going to happen_** _."_

 _"So… you don't care that he dies?" The Iwa-nin asked with a smirk, "I removed the seal from him, and he's dying. Not even a… beast like you could save him, and judging by your answer, you don't even care for the child."_

 _"_ ** _You_** _!"_

 **Just—**

Kakashi leaned forward all too fast, cutting the fox off his sentence. His bare lips smashed onto Kurama's, and the need just oozed. The Kyūbi couldn't really move, not that he wanted to; the child's hold that crept around his neck was just too strong—then seconds stretched into a millennia, and time slowed to an abrupt stop. Kurama found his fingers twined into Kakashi's locks. No words could describe the feeling both felt in those elongated seconds: there was need,(was there love?), desperation… and a hint of depression. Depression because Kakashi wasn't able to save Kurama from… the torture; Konoha locked him in the small jar for years, and he could only imagine the screams and shouts on every single day and night the fox was in there.

Kurama was the first to pull away, breath gone short and eyes dilating—he threw himself off the boy, clambered into a stand and a flush made it to his cheeks. What the hell did he just—the fox bolted, and didn't look back. He had really lost his mind. His feet took him out of the window and he bounded into the city, ignoring the cries Kakashi mustered after him.

 _Protect him._

How could Kakashi feel in such a way? He was a killer, a fraud. Not even a person as… as damaged as the silver-haired boy could accept him. All of that were lies, and Kurama's life were full of deceit. He was played for a fool. Maybe. The emotions were all over the place. Sure. They sparred, had three meals each day, and had long conversations about whatever… there was contact, too. Subtle movements: fingers brushing against as they walked, gloved hands grasping at fur, arms wrapped around a frame to protect and hold close.

 _I'm not blaming you for falling in love with him._

What is even love? Or was it admiration? The heart squeezes were one thing, but the butterflies… _oh, the butterflies._ Whenever Kakashi smiled, chuckled, or fucking _laughed_ … was it normal for him to feel like the beast was on cloud nine? (Did he even have a cloud nine?) Absolutely not. No way. The feeling was only considered insane for a Bijū.

 _"Kurama, aren't you going to sleep?"_

 _"_ ** _I need to keep a look out for any ambushes_** _."_

 _"Please, we haven't had one in ages. Just go to sleep… you need it anyway."_

 _"_ ** _But who's going to protect_** _—"_

 _"Kurama." He pressed, hands grasping at the fox's shoulders, he had a serious look plastered on his face, "we'll both be okay, nothing will ever separate us." The fox felt his heart flutter at his words, "I promised the old man, didn't I?" The child paused and pulled his hands away, a smile cracking as he fought to hold back a laugh, "and besides, your killer intent is enough to scare everyone, and uh, everyone is a lot of people." Kakashi laughed at his own statement, rubbing his nape with his hand; smiling cheekily._

It _fucking_ wasn't love.

It was _not._


	4. Don't Leave me Alone

_"Kyūbi."_

 _"_ ** _Brat, how many times must you say my name?_** _"_

 _The silver-haired nin, in all honesty, pondered whether he should say or do something about the question, but decided best not to anger the beast much more than he already was. The Fourth Ninja War was enough to set the malice in the fox's blood, and the Datara was already pushing the beast of off his sane tip of the iceberg. Obito was still on Madara's side, possibly shifting onto Kakashi's side just because the latter already knocked sense into that large, empty head of his; Rin's story was tough to crack, but Kakashi did still manage to pull through. Minato was alive, with the Yin side of Kurama… never really made it all the difference, they were still getting their asses kicked—or it happened to just be Kakashi because he didn't have his goddamn Sharingan—but it was nice to see that familiar face for real. Naruto long acquired the Yin version of the Kyūbi and made the fox split to take care of Kakashi, a hasty move but Naruto didn't care._

 _Knucklehead._

 _"_ ** _You're dying, and yet you're still thinking too much. Stop it._** _"_

 _"Didn't exactly need you to tell me the obvious." Kakashi still mustered the crack of a snort despite the growing pool of blood forming underneath him. His eyes flickered from the bloodied fight between whoever and whoever to Naruto—well, Kurama in this case; the redness of Naruto's eyes made Kakashi sick to his stomach, making matters worse than before—he felt like regurgitating, and it wasn't a very good feeling. At all._

 _"_ ** _Oy, don't do that!_** _"_ **** _Kurama growled as he smelt the blood leaving through the crack of Kakashi's lips, staining his already dark mask. "_ ** _I don't want Naruto coming up to the surface and seeing you act so stupidly._** _" Kurama snarled, keeping his hand atop the wound on Kakashi's abdomen—the wound was too deep, but he couldn't tell Naruto that—how could he when the man was the reason Naruto became what he was? Kurama didn't even know if he could save the Hatake, no less close the wound inflicted by that… that excuse of an Uchiha. No matter what Kurama did, whether it was to pour his chakra into the wound to close it, or stop it from bleeding, it still wouldn't do anything. Whatever Obito did—Kurama suddenly felt Kakashi's fingers wrapping around a wrist and his eyes dipped to said male—he was pale, too pale._

 _"_ ** _Brat—_** _"_

 _"Don't say it. I really don't want Naruto to hear anything."_

 _"_ ** _But—_** _"_

 _"Save it," Kakashi pushed, pulling Naruto's hands away with force before pushing himself into a sit, "there's no… ah, shit…" The silver-haired man held onto his wound with a groan, "sorry," he swiftly carried on, "there's no use to save me when I'm already at the brink. You need to help the others—at this point, they need it far moe than I do."_

 _Kakashi couldn't see it, but Kurama clamped his teeth on the inside of his mouth hard enough to make it bleed, "w_ ** _hy the fuck should I?_** _"_

 _"Because they're Naruto's—"_

 _"_ ** _And what does that make you? An outcast?_** _"_ **** _Kurama interjected with perfection, "_ ** _listen, I don't care about them at the moment because they're not the ones who are laying on the ground with blood pooling around them and spreading in mere seconds. Naruto cares for you, and just to make him fucking happy, I have to do at least something!_** _"_

 _"Is it for his sake," a soft lull, "or for yours?"_

 _"_ ** _What?_** _"_

 _"I've been watching." Kakashi confessed, exposed eyes crinkling to form a mirror image of small crescents, "ever since you made yourself known, you've been… interfering. Not just Naruto's fights, but mine. Why refuse to be sealed into Naruto? Did you need me to know that you're still around and strong enough to wipe out everyone in the village? Look, I know you cared from the very beginning because you didn't come up to the surface until the fight with Zabuza, but you to interfere in my fights? What's wrong with you?" He paused, shifting his hand further down until his fingers out the mouth of the wound, "you refused to kill me that day you were released from Kushina-sama, and I know you saw me, and I know you realised my chakra signature since it was similar to someone you care most for."_

 _Shit. He knew._

 _"_ ** _You talk too much for a dying man._** _" Kurama didn't say anything else and let his chakra seep out, encaging Kakashi within it in order to divert from continuing on the subject. The fox didn't really think it was a good idea to let Kakashi figure out his bloodline just yet, though introducing Kakashi to his latest Jutsu that he just remembered by whatever he remembered it by was harder, but if Naruto trusted him like a father, then was it the best notion? "_ ** _Do you want to save everyone? Including that little girlfriend of yours?_** _" Kakashi's look of darn seriousness gave him the answer of a straightforward yes, and Kurama went for it (notwithstanding the fact that he didn't regret his decision), "_ ** _I learnt something, it's a new Jutsu. Forbidden, of course, but highly crucial._** _" He paused, eyes shifting from Kakashi to the battle happening—it was one between Naruto (the real one) and Obito—"_ ** _it's a time travel technique._** _"_

 _"Hey—"_

 _"_ ** _I'm doing the talking, thank you very much._** _" Kurama cut through Kakashi's sentence with a pair of scissors, "_ ** _if you really want to help, then you have to go back into time and change the course._** _"_

 _"Why are you even helping?" Kakashi asked, hissing back a profanity threatening to leave his lips as the chakra seeped into his wound far faster than he thought the fox had to work with. "I highly disbelieve—shit—you're going this for Naruto's sake."_

 _"_ ** _I care about Naruto, and you realised it. I—stop moving!—care. Seems stupid and illogical for a demon like me to care for a knucklehead like Naruto, but I do._** _" Kurama answered, growling at Kakashi's incredulity, "_ ** _just fucking do it._** _"_

 _Kakashi stopped talking all at once. He really didn't think he was up for the job. How was he, the stupid and inconsiderate son of the White Fang supposed to fix everything? He was just a man of the Sharingan, nothing more. Sure, he copied over a thousand Jutsu, but was that even enough to save Rin from falling, Obito from going rogue, Kushina and Minato dying to protect Naruto, Itachi from killing the whole clan, Sasuke from going exile, Gaara from getting killed, and whatever else Kakashi failed to mention? He was just a normal man! Normal! And a man! A man! A normal man (and he would say it over and over just enough times for the fox to get super annoyed with him)!_

 _"_ ** _You have no choice, Hatake._** _" The fox growled like as if he could hear Kakashi screaming in his head, "_ ** _you're dying, Obito's getting worse by the second, Madara's using your eye to his own accord, and shit's going to go down if you don't do anything about it!_** _"_

 _"Fine!" Kakashi roared right off his ticker, snarl leaving through the little air gaps in his mask. Now the sounds of screams, shouts and havoc were screaming at them, shutting them off of their hearing, "I'll do it for everyone's sake! Just don't summon death to peel my skin if I fail!"_

 _"_ ** _You won't._** _" The fox mumbled under the underneath of his breath to not let Kakashi hear what he said (this caused the look of confusion spreading onto Kakashi's façade) and formed a string of hand-signs; his chakra going wild enough for Naruto (the real one) to turn on his heels and shout at Kurama to stop, disengage the Jutsu, and let Kakashi free. He didn't push Kakashi out of the chakra that wrapped around him—it was too late for anyone to butt in, and that included Obito. Everyone there: the Shodai, the Nindaime, the Sandaime, the Namikaze, even the Godaime—and the rest of Naruto's friends and the other higher-ups from the other countries, knew it happened to be a Jutsu that was forbidden. But Obito, Madara, Sasuke and Naruto knew exactly what he was up to._

 _"Shit, don't do it!"_

 ** _Naruto, biggest knucklehead_** _._

 _"Kyūbi!"_

 ** _Madara, remind me to skin you alive_** _._

 _"_ ** _Don't make the mistake of leaving them behind._** _"_

 _"I won't."_

 ** _Kakashi, you're such a pain in the ass._**

 _All Kurama saw was white, and then an endless ring in his ears._

 _—_

Minato no longer knew what was going on with Kakashi nowadays. The boy was reserved, he knew, but this was much worse. The child looked like he hadn't eaten in _days_ , and he'd gone paler than usual. The nine-tailed Bijū hadn't said anything, the Hokage felt, and it was _wrong._ Something happened, and Kushina didn't know what it was either. The Hokage watched his student walk down the street vertical to the Hokage's office, puffing dust with each step. Without the mask, it was easy to read the expression stuck on the child's face. The Hokage couldn't take it anymore; he left his office through the window, and dropped down without a noise. He ran over to Kakashi, scooped him from his spot and disappeared within a flash—earning him looks from the civilians around. The boy didn't even make that little kidnapping all that hard; he threw the younger male to the ground of the training area, pulling out a kunai as the boy stood. "If you're really Kakashi, prove it."

 _(Please, you must listen to me. I know it's hard, but you have to.)_

The boy didn't give Minato a look of curiosity like he usually did; it was dark, malicious even. The Sharingan whirred to life and Kakashi cocked his head to side. "Is it so hard to just leave me alone?" All the Hokage could take into account was the sheer speed and strength Kakashi hurled at him. One second he was in front of him, and in the next, he was right above. Minato could only block the attack, but not the second: it was a whisper of a Jutsu that he thought he never would have to hear again: "Katon: Ketatamashi Makai." (Fire Release: Piercing Hell Strike) A spear was formed in seconds; it was a too-hot and too-compressed spear instead of the normal fireballs that Obito was able to conjure. The heat was enough for Minato to stop breathing normally and without hesitation, Kakashi dropped his arm in a booming rate. Time was slowing down, and all Minato saw was red.

 _"Kakashi!"_

 _There was an eye-roll before a loud snort. "What?"_

 _"Geez, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"_

 _The silver-haired Jōnin snorted at Minato's question, rolling his eyes once again as he pulled the gloves further up his wrists—a habit Kakashi took on after a few A-class missions, "more like slept on the training grounds."_

 _"Excuse me!?" If it weren't for the fact they were in the village, and in their home, Minato would have lost his head._

 _"Just kidding, old man." Kakashi waved his hand as if dismissing his answer like a fly. "It was raining and I was rushing back home, and turned out I ended up in Rin's place. Her mother didn't mind me being there, and her dad didn't as well." Kakashi paused, dropping his hands to the sides, turning his head round to his left to bring Minato into view, "mission was strenuous, but it was fine. You should give me more of those, sensei."_

 _Minato had to stop himself from groaning inwardly, he really wanted Kakashi to stop talking about his missions. Though Minato did find it weird; Kakashi never really 'found himself' in anyone's houses, nor did he ever find himself in Rin's house. Kakashi never found a fondness in his teammates, but after the day Minato sent him on that mission… something weird happened. Kakashi didn't just pass out, but he was acting as if it was a heart attack; his chest convulsed and fingers clawed at his left pectoral, face beading with sweat. Then once he collapsed, he stopped breathing for a moment, long enough for his heart to stop beating altogether. If it weren't for Tsunade, Kakashi wouldn't have made it._

 _"Sensei?"_

 _The whiteness of Kakashi's complexion was pale enough, but to see him in bed for all those hours and unmoving was intimidating. There was not a snowflake's chance in hell Minato would want to lose Kakashi like that—he couldn't. Kakashi had grown onto the man, and his worry escalated to unimaginable heights if Kakashi were to get injured or kidnapped, or whatever bad happened to him. Now that Kurama was his, Minato could breathe, but only to a certain extent. Kakashi was still his, their's. How could he even live through life if Kakashi wasn't around? He nearly lost him to the White Fang's death, and lost him again when the boy started growing distant to everyone due to mission after mission._

 _"Hey, you're thinking too much." Minato blinked back his thoughts and found Kakashi had stepped one pace towards him, eyes glinting worry as the boy's brows furrowed, "thinking too much will give you grey hair, sensei."_

 _Too late for Minato, he was already seeing a dullness settling in the roots of his hair, "it's 'tou-san', Kashi," he repeated for the nth time that day, "how many times do I need to remind you?" Apparently, more times than he said 'I love you' to Kushina… which happened to be a lot of times, mind you._

 _"Sorry, but I've grown accustomed." Kakashi broke a laugh and stepped away from Minato, he failed to see the spark of a frown when his heat was no longer in the elder's radius to touch, "anyway, Kaa-chan's—" Minato still didn't know why Kakashi found it easy to call Kushina by that title, "—going to be home in a while, so you might as well get ready, I mean, you do have a meeting with the council in an hour."_

 _"Haah…" The Hokage sighed, his blond hair drooping at the mention of politics, "I really don't want to see any of their faces. Especially Danzo's… ugh, he's an ass." Minato added under his breath before nodding once, "but you're right, I need to speak with them—that includes Fugaku, he's a bit iffy about you having the Kyūbi and the Sharingan at your disposal."_

 _Kakashi shrugged a shoulder loosely, frown visible, "I don't blame him for feeling that way. I'm an Hatake, not an Uchiha." He paused, searching for the right words to say next, "I shouldn't be having their eyes… but my mother, on the other hand, gives me the right since she was Fugaku-san's oldest sister." The child took a moment to take a breath; there was a minute of silence before their eyes casted to the door that opened with a small creak; the door barely moved from the tiny inch Kushina managed to push it onto. The silver-haired tall-gone-short laughed softly and let Kushina in with the pull of the door that refused to budge after a while, "just remembered that the door's hinges are getting a tad bit too rusty for any of our likings."_

 _Minato chuckled and helped his wife in, closing the door after her frame had stepped into the apartment—fixing the hinges weren't really his priority at that moment, why would it be when his wife just came back? He leaned against the wall near the kitchen's door in time with Kakashi's own lean against the wall near the door that led to the guest bathroom, "how was the mission?"_

 _"Well, it was dull enough to let me say that Kakashi's mission was more amusing in my opinion. You should give me those missions instead, I can finish them in a second." Kushina puffed a cheek and collapsed onto the sofa, peeling her hitai-ate off with a single hand and motioning for Kakashi to come closer with the other hand. He did as he was told, and Kushina immediately pulled him down into a hug. "Mmh! I missed you, brat!" She ignored the struggles the boy executed, and the brightest smile made it to her lips when Kakashi stopped being a brat._

 _The Hokage smiled at the sight and didn't even realised he was dragged into the hug as well—poor Kakashi, caught in the middle. All Minato knew was that the warmth around him was so very comforting, and to have Kakashi and Kushina by his side… he couldn't ask for anything more._

 _Though, he forgot about the meeting that was supposed to happen in the next 45 minutes._

 _(Remember, you aren't alone.)_

The blond-haired male didn't have enough time to dodge properly—how could he when was in close proximity to the attack?—and used Hiraishin. The speed was enough to evade the spear, but not enough to evade the close-to-first-degree burns scattered over his arms. His robe was home to scorching holes; kunai, shuriken and other tools all poured into existence. He heaved out a wheeze and found his cheek coming into contact with a small fist and he was tossed off his feet, thrown into the line of trees. He managed to stand up, but Kakashi beat him to it. The smaller Jōnin clambered onto Minato's going-limp frame, straddled his chest and threw punch after hit—

"I don't need you, can't you fucking understand!?" A punch to the clavicle—chakra-induced, "why must you always interfere!? I never asked for your help!" Another hit to the jaw—also chakra-induced, "I never asked you to take care of me! I have the capability to take care of myself, can't you understand that!?" A bone-crunching punch to the left cheek.

"Kashi-kun!" A shrill scream from behind Kakashi, "please stop!" Said person was pulled off of the Hokage by his peer, arms tightly wrapped around his thorax. The boy's flailing didn't die down, but once he saw the tears in Rin's eyes, it did; with the sudden lack of chakra (judging by the missing presence of the Kyūbi, he had to use his own), he collapsed within the arms of the girl's and she managed a yelp before hugging him close in order to not let him collapse onto the ground and hurt himself further than necessary, her eyes starting to flicker over to the ANBU that was pulling Minato into a stand. "I—I'm so sorry, sensei." She rushed through the apology with a splutter, "I tried to keep him away from you, but… I couldn't, I'm so sorry."

The blond raised his hand, signalling the ANBU there was no need to help him; the ANBU stood back, head bowed in respect before keeping his distance from the Hokage. Minato's brows furrowed and his teeth worried his bottom lip, he assessed his injuries: a broken clavicle, a fractured left cheek, burn marks on a good percentage of his arms and torso, and possibly internal bleeding because of the chakra-induced punches Kakashi was throwing at him; Tsunade would definitely kill Minato, "what happened to him?" It would be lie if he were to say he didn't fear what was going to be the answer since he really did anticipated the worse, judging by the lack of a beast made of pure chakra… he just _hoped_ he wasn't correct.

"Hashiri ran off, and we all haven't seen him since." Shit, he was right. "Kashi-kun can't even sense him anymore." Rin added, easily stealing Minato from his own thoughts, "I don't exactly know what made him to this, but he begged Kushina-sama to put him on the force, though he was met with refusal; he then said something about ' _him_ being born', but I'm not too sure as to _who_ he's trying to tell Kushina-sama about, but _he_ must be really important."

"The force." An ANBU spoke up from behind the Hokage, earning him a dark look from the higher up which the ANBU backed off from. "Sir, it _is_ true." The ANBU hastily added, both Minato and Rin shot their full attention to him; he coughed his throat clear before speaking, "he's gone through the… exam, if you must call it. He passed with flying colours, the best I have ever witnessed. He was able to cut off all Genjutsu thrown at him, managed to shove Yamanaka-san out of his mind by an image of a demon, and came out of the room like as if nothing happened. Because of this, well, Kushina didn't give him the job… but… she _was_ there to see it all. She agreed." Minato flared a bright red in astonishing anger, his bright blue eyes gone brighter. Was Kushina out of her mind!? Why would she agree to put Kakashi on the force? Did she snap and saw Kakashi as a tool? "But she agreed because the only way to get the Kyūbi's attention, is to… well, go close to death." The ANBU added with a small mumble in the back of his throat, watching as Rin started holding Kakashi closer to her frame, "she knows the Kyūbi is very… stubborn, and will do anything in his power to not listen to anyone. But if he sees Kakashi doing something as stupid—"

 _"You can't just let him join!" Kushina shrieked, causing the ANBU around her to jump a good feet off the floor. "I thought I said to not agree!"_

 _"Let me make myself clear, Kushina-sama, we both know how stubborn the Kyūbi can get, and this is the only way to get his attention, is it not!?" The ANBU captain, Raven, nearly snapped-he couldn't care for the other ANBU standing around the both of them, "you even said so! You were the previous Jinchūriki, Kushina-sama, I just don't understand why you would turn down Hatake's request—he begged, and let me repeat: he begged!"_

 _"He's my boy, Raven-san!" Kushina screamed, tears abundant in her eyes, "it's my job to protect him, not that idiot's! If he left Kakashi, then it's for a darn good reason, and I understand that!" She drew a harsh breath, fists evident at her sides. "The Kyūbi only leaves his host when he deems it necessary, and this decision was necessary!"_

 _The ANBU clasped the bridge of his nose, a grunt leaving his lips. "How do you even know what the reason is, Kushina-sama? How do you know that the fox left Hatake for good reasons and not for a stupid one? Look, I know you want to help Hatake, but you can't keep him locked in your apartment and ask one of us or all of us to watch him by the sidelines." Raven paused and gave Kushina a pained look, "you have to let him do what he wants. Didn't Mikoto-sama tell you that her child is joining us?."_

 _"Mikoto—"_

 _"Yes, MIkoto-sama's child." Raven persisted, hardening his words without difficulty, "if you won't let Kakashi join the force for the Kyūbi, then let him join for Fugaku-sama's kid—there is a high possibly that he will join the ANBU, I know the kid ended up having such high intellect and will unleash his Sharingan when he's barely a teen. The ANBU need people like Kakashi-san, like the Uchiha. You, out of all people, should know how much we need those type of ninjas." He paused, now opting to lower his into a minimised volume, softening, "the ANBU is not a place for a boy like Itachi-san, so let Kakashi guide him through. You know how well the Hatake performed in the exam, if you must call it that."_

"By that notion!?" Minato screamed in utter disbelief. There was no way, no way in the absolute darkest trenches of Konoha (did they even have trenches?) would Kushina _ever_ do something like that to Kakashi. No, not at all—never. She couldn't just let Kakashi join a force so much deadlier than anyone could even think of without consulting Minato: the Hokage! What in the heavens was going on with the village and his student!?

The only thing Minato could process was bits and pieces were flying everywhere and his brain refused to function.

—

 **[ Area : Unknown ]**

 _How long are you going to stay away?_

 **As long as it takes.**

 _He can't function without your chakra in him, he's grown accustomed._

 **Then make him not be, Asura!**

 _You know it isn't in my power to do so. Tou-san made sure neither Indra or myself could touch him._

 **That old man…** Asura kept his distance form the raging fox, frozen at the punches thrown towards the ground; the fox (in his human form) collapsed onto his knees and growled as his fists descended onto the ground beneath. **That damned kid; he makes my life so very difficult! His face, voice, touch—all of it bloody stings!** Asura watched the fox punch the ground once more and the Earth cracked a good feet forward; **I can't even leave him alone for a second, and if I do, he would be attacked by what knows who and he would probably get himself killed!**

 _You left him, Kurama._ Asura said as if it was the most stupid decision a logical being like the fox could conjure, _you left him entirely. Who's supposed to defend him now? Sure, he has Obito, Rin, Kushina, and Minato… but they cannot stay with him 25/8 like you. You have to go back, and I highly doubt Tou-san cares if you've fallen in love—_

 **I did not fall in love with the bastard.**

 _—With Kakashi because you have the right to, Indra and myself don't care either because of that reason._ Asura paused long enough for the shock to arrive on Kurama's face—the fox's eyes widened to saucers and his façade tilted to bring the son of the Sage of Six Paths into his view, _it's natural for a Bijū to have affections for their Jinchūriki—well, it's fairly obvious since the bond between the pair would last for so very long. I understand that it took you very long to… to get used to Naruto, but I can also understand that you would protect Kakashi to large extents because he was the one who knew your pain, your story. He may not be Naruto, he may not be a ball of pure delight, but at least he protects you._

 **Asura,** Kurama didn't growl, but the hardness he put his voice under was enough to stir, **Kakashi hates my face, and I know it. Everyone hates me, I'm a monster, am I not? I am not here to balance out the world, I'm here to kill. All the Bijū are. We are nothing but tools to the village we are placed in, and we are nothing but vessels of huge amounts of Chakra.**

 _Kurama…_

 **You have seen how many of us have been treated; I was in a jar for years until Kushina showed up. Ninjas think they're all high and mighty, but they're not. They don't care for beasts like us. They don't care!**

 _"Hey, Ku?"_

 **The heck?** Kurama spun around and frantically look around, the voice and nickname was ample for the fox' ears to perk and heart rumble against his chest.

 _Shit, don't!_

 _"You doing alright? You're not sick, right?"_

 _"_ ** _Kit, a ball of chakra like myself can never get sick._** _"_

 _"I know, but you've been acting as if the sky fell and hit your head. Do you need me to cook you something?"_

 _"_ ** _You can cook?_** _"_

 _"Seems surprising, right? Look, 26-year-old me still lived alone and refused to marry any girl because I've always preferred missions over them. So, of course I have to learn how to cook. I didn't have Kushina to help me and I didn't have Minato to guide me."_

 _"_ ** _That… is true. But if you're tired, and I know you are by the fact that your chakra levels are so very low, you don't have to cook for me._** _"_

 _"Nah, it's fine. I can help," Kakashi said with a soft smile lingering on his lips, "you love my food, anyway."_

The fox was lost. He didn't know what to do anymore, and his mind bubbled and his chakra spiked. He was so very confused—he shouldn't be close to Kakashi because he was a monster, and yet he should be with Kakashi because he was his Bijū. But did he like Kakashi in a romantic way? He didn't even know anymore. Kurama was what one would call a 'difficult case'. He knew he mastered in most: the silent kill, long range and short range attacks, strategy and healing. Asura, even Indra, had no idea how the fox could have known all of those techniques at the mere moment he was created—Hagoromo must've had something very good to eat before it happened.

 _Kurama,_ Asura tried for the last time, knowing the said beast was back for his little… incident, _for the last time, you need to go back to Kakashi. He needs you, and you need him._ The male couldn't take it much longer; the fox was too stubborn for his own good and his decision to leave Kakashi was stupid.

The fox always had this grace in his performance in battle, and it was not even close to being crinkled. Also, being a mass maker of utter chaos, his power was too great, and due to this little… problem of his, at the ends of his fur, little crackles of fire shone whenever the chakra proved to be too great, and whenever Kakashi ran, he would make those sparks every time he contacted the Earth—but that is if Kurama were to pour his chakra a tad bit more than usual. See, the fox knew what he was strong at, and what his weaknesses were. But Kakashi was a tough nut to crack. Kurama's heart said this, his soul said something else, and his mind was jumbled into mushy peanuts because of the civil war between his brain and his conscience.

 _Did I manage to break through that hard skull of yours?_

Kurama gave Asura a single glare, shifting back into his fox form; he snorted back a sigh and rested against a tree, fur tingling as the wind picked up. He watched Asura's form fizz as the wind blew and the male's eyes fell to a close; the fox gathered the air in his lips, expelled it softly before speaking, **do you know how Kakashi's doing at this moment?**

Asura flickered his eyes open, remaining quiet for a good while as he assessed Kakashi's presence before he spoke, _he's… not himself._ The male wasn't too sure as to how he had to break it to Kurama, but knowing how hot-headed the monster was, he guessed that he had to be very leading, _his chakra has gone very hard to pick up, and his scent is nearly dying. It's not that he's disappearing, it's just… it's like he's a part of—what do they call it? The ANBU?_

 **What the fuck do you mean by the ANBU?** Kakashi couldn't possibly be joining the ANBU way quicker than expected.

 _I meant what I said,_ he said in response, realising Kurama knew of their existence in the world, _Kakashi's been put on the force._ The male failed to realise Kurama lurched forward with violence once the assassination force was mentioned; the male's eyes fell shut again, and the loudest flinch was drawn once the chakra he needed to find was found, _he's leaving the village, heading to Kirigakure. He's been sent to wipe out a Rogue… an S-rank Rogue._


End file.
